Vineyard: Donnachadh Vineyard - Family owned and organically farmed!

AVA: Sta. Rita Hills (Santa Barbara County, CA)

Tasting Notes: Pomegranate, violet, cracked mineral pepper powder, silty tannins, crunchy/bright fruit. Darker fruit when comparing to 2021.

In a Nutshell: 100% whole cluster / FULL carbonic. Pumpovers instead of punch downs to minimize grape wall breakdown, moderating tannin extraction. Fermented in stainless steel in a C02 rich atmosphere, the goal to promote authentic carbonic flavors - fresh, bright, juicy, crunchy red fruit and fruit pop on the nose & the palate. Full ML/ Malolactic completion to soften acidity. Aged in 500L neutral French oak puncheon barrels for 10 months.

*! This is not a nouveau style. The tannin structure & heft are similar to that of a light/med structured Pinot Noir from Sta. Rita Hills AVA.

Vineyard Deets: The Donnachadh vineyard site is located in a very cool site close to the ocean off of Santa Rosa Road close to Lompoc, CA. The site is mainly sand, but this particular block shows a bit more clay. Last year a car slammed into this block, taking out 10% of what was planted - making the varietal even harder to get.

“Family owned and organically farmed, Donnachadh Vineyard is located on Santa Rosa Road in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA of Santa Barbara County. The property is 285 acres with approximately 40 acres under vine. We grow Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah and a little bit of Gamay Noir.

The climate of the Santa Rita Hills is dominated by the Pacific Ocean, which lies about 9 miles from the vineyard. Morning fog cools the grapes and consistent afternoon ocean breezes keep heat from building up over the course of the day.

The vineyard consists of two main parts: the hillside blocks, and the riverside blocks. The riverside blocks sit alongside the Santa Ynez River. They are more sheltered from the wind than the hillside blocks and the soil is a delicate and well drained sandy loam that sits on top of deep layers of gravel river deposits. The hillside blocks are more exposed to the ocean winds. The soil there is derived from marine shale deposits and features more clay, rocks and cobbles than the riverside blocks. Overall, the hillside environment is quite challenging for the vines, limiting yields and producing grapes of exceptional character.”