White Wines

2009 Tondre Riesling

This wine is the first of its kind from this vineyard. Joe Alarid (son of Tondre Alarid and vineyard manager), planted Riesling to diversify his vineyard, and we are glad he did. The Tondre Grapefield is located in the heart of Monterey’s Santa Lucia Highlands, with the elevation ranging from 175 to 400 feet. Sunny but cool days and a long growing season gave these grapes a lot of time to develop beautifully.

Everything about this wine was handmade in our minimalist approach. Most of the grapes were loaded by hand and pressed as whole clusters in our small pneumatic presses & a portion were destemmed and allowed to macerate with the skins. The juice was slowly fermented in a cold stainless steel tank and purposefully left as a sweet, low-alcohol wine.

Description: complex, pleasing aromas & flavors of honeysuckle, stonefruit & limepeel; sweetness, acidity and low alcohol produce a balanced, versatile & quaffable wine. Serving suggestions: serve cold with hors d’oeuvres, cheese courses, with spicy Asian or California fusion dishes, or on its own in warm weather.

2007 Cedar Lane Sauvignon Blanc
The Cedar Lane Vineyard is located on a very rocky piece of land that is an old river bench. Wind rushes through this opening to the Valley washing out the fog early in the day, but keeping the vineyard cool in the midst of sometimes intense sun.

This Sauvignon Blanc – all Musque clone — was harvested by hand on September 12 & 18, 2007 and was the first fruit to come into our winery. We received a total of 10 tons between two days of harvesting. The grapes were carefully pressed in small batches and then 50% of the juice was fermented in a stainless steel tank, and the remainder was fermented in old French oak barrels. As a result of this handling, it is characterized by floral, tropical and grapefruit aromas and has a rich mouthfeel while maintaining a crisp, food-friendly acidity.

2009 Tondre Riesling
This wine is the first of its kind from this vineyard. Joe Alarid (son of Tondre Alarid and vineyard manager), planted Riesling to diversify his vineyard, and we are glad he did. The Tondre Grapefield is located in the heart of Monterey’s Santa Lucia Highlands, with the elevation ranging from 175 to 400 feet. Sunny but cool days and a long growing season gave these grapes a lot of time to develop beautifully.

2007 Chula Viña Vineyard Chardonnay
The Chula Viña Vineyard is located on a protected bench in the eastern hills overlooking the Salinas Valley. While the cooling fog keeps Chula Viña from ripening too quickly, its protected location assures the strong ocean-influenced winds do not stunt the vines progress. In combination with the warm afternoon sun, these factors provide a setting for the growth of stunning fruit.

The 2007 vintage was one of the very best in recent memory in California. The weather was relatively dry throughout the year which produced small, well-formed clusters, and the weather was the best one could hope for – not too hot, not too cold – and produced high-quality wine grapes with which to work. The wine was aged in barrel, sur-lies, for 10 months and was produced and bottled without any fining or filtration. This minimalist approach keeps the wine in its natural state, allowing the fruit flavors to shine through and express an irrepressible complexity and delicacy.

This wine is a pure varietal expression of Chardonnay with flavors of ripe apple, lemon, melon and a distinct minerality. Notes of toasted oak and cedar round out the wine. The firm acidity of this Chardonnay creates a structure that gives it a refreshing profile that pairs well with a variety of foods including seafood, chicken, or hors d’oeuvres.
The Chula Viña Vineyard is located on a protected bench in the eastern hills overlooking the Salinas Valley. While the cooling fog keeps Chula Viña from ripening too quickly, its protected location assures the strong ocean-influenced winds do not stunt the vines progress. In combination with the warm afternoon sun, these factors provide a setting for the growth of stunning fruit.