- Wines
2018 Walker's Vineyard Nebbiolo
The wine reveals notes of strawberries, licorice and dried savory herbs. On the palate, the wine is ample, with the chewy tannins, juicy acids and a ripe, firm finish.
Vineyard
We farm two Nebbiolo at two dramatically different sites. Our newest planting at Gist Ranch is just over an acre situated on heavily fractured Vacqueros Sandstone. High in elevation and mostly above the fog, this site consistently ripens this fickly variety and is the backbone our Nebbiolo wines. Our Winery Estate Nebbiolo is sourced from a small 0.3 acre hillside perched just above the Rapley Trail Vineyard.
Winemaker Notes
2018 was another dry but not particularly warm winter; this changed in early February. A high-pressure system brought daytime temperatures into the 70’s, warming the soil and initiating bud break at some vineyard sites. In March, a cold front settled in and brought nighttime temperatures down to freezing, risking frost damage to the new shoot growth. These ‘false’ springs have become much more common in recent years. Summer was mild, leading to a marginally later harvest. The concentrated wines are poised and complex with depth and structure.
Technical Data
Vintage
2018
Varietal
Nebbiolo
Appellation
Santa Cruz Mountains
Vineyard Designation
Gist Ranch Estate
Acid
5.8
pH
3.71
Alcohol %
14.4
Wine Enthusiast
95
Other Notes
Winemaker Nathan Kandler may have found an ideal New World location for this famous Piedmontese grape at 2,150 feet up in the Santa Cruz Mountains. This bottling's nose offers dried strawberry, rosewater and brown spice aromas, with a sanguine line throughout. The palate begins very tense, with a crushed-rock minerality wrapping around lingering cranberry and pomegranate flavors. — 95 points. Matt Kettmann, Wine Enthusiast