Vineyards
We source our fruit from unique vineyards who produce small crops of well-tended fruit
The 2010 Sante comes from 2 very special vineyards: Bald Mountain Vineyard in Bonny Doon, CA and Split Rai Vineyard in Corralitos-- both in the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA.
Bald Mountain Vineyard
For 2010 we are producing a Chardonnay and a Pinot Noir from Bald Mountain Vineyard, in the Ben Lomond Mountain sub-appellation of the Santa Cruz Mountains appellation. The sandy soil and cool weather scream for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Just 9 acres of prime vineyard real estate are given over to Pinot Noir, planted to Mt. Eden, 777, and Pommard clones that exude delicious cherry, vanilla and cola tendencies. There are only 4 vineyards in the Ben Lomond Mountain sub-appellation, and we're thrilled to be producing one of the few wines from this extremely rare region.
The rest of the 38 acre vineyard is dedicated to Chardonnay. I've always found the Chardonnay from this vineyard to express crisp minerality that shows well through a deep, rich tropical fruit base, with a very distinctive terroir that can't be found anywhere else. In fact, a few years back at a blind tasting I was able to very easily pick the Beauregard Bald Mountain chardonnay from a lineup of 15 Chardonnays from all over California due to the distinct terroir-- the flavor of the vineyard.
Bald Mountain sits on a sandstone bench just slightly above the north coast fogbank that blankets Davenport all summer long. Sometimes in the dog days of summer the vines just **barely** get kissed by fog, which cools them down and basically says "hey, chill out, settle down, be patient, wait until it's time." The hot days and cool ocean breeze blowing off the fog equate to a nice, long hang time for the fruit... which Burgundian varietals love. The fruit gets ripe very slowly, leading to a dense, rich flavor profile that's not found in very many places on planet earth.
Split Rail Vineyard (aka Tindall Mountain Vineyard)
Located at 1700' in Corralitos (Southern Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, home of Windy Oaks & Alfaro), with dramatic views of the Monterey Bay, the former Split Rail Vineyard was a longtime standby for David Bruce and Clos La Chance. Approximately two acres of this mountaintop vineyard is planted to Pinot Noir, with "David Bruce" clone, Champagne clone 32 (aka UC Davis Clone 32) and Dijon clone 115 making up the bulk of the planting. The rest of the vineyard is planted to Chardonnay clone 4, with a light mix of French clones 95/110R, 76/110R and 809/110R; all of which benefit from the long Corralitos growing season, which is cooled down by the ocean breeze blowing off the summer Aptos fog 5 miles and 1700' down below.
David Bruce Clone is one of the original Pinot Noir clones grown in the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, and is reported to have been brought over from Chambolle-Musigny, on the prized Côte de Nuits, France, in the 50s by Martin Ray. Many wineries, including Chalone, David Bruce & Williams-Selyem have made great use of this unique clone, which is known for its delicacy and its floral aromas, and which Robert Parker has described as "silk & lace".
Clone 115, because of its great tannins and generally sturdy acidity, is known as a "backbone" or structure clone that lends a firm layer that sits at the core of Pinots made from this vineyard. Champagne clone 32(DNI), which was grafted to Freedom rootstock, brings a rich earthiness to the mix, with hints of plum jam, black cherry, clove and redwood humus. The lower half of the vineyard was recently grafted over to Pommard clone 2A. These clones make up the perfect clonal blend for the old world, delicate Pinot Noir we strive to make here at Sante.
Chardonnay from Split Rail vineyard expresses crisp minerality and a Burgundian nature that balances fragrant hibiscus, pineapple and pear aromatics with hints of granite to form the backbone of clean, austere Chardonnays.
About Clone 32 (quoted from Capazzo Winery)
UCD 32 was sourced originally from a vineyard in Ay, across the Marne River from Epernay…It is sometimes said that the original vineyard sources of these clones were Roederer’s own Champagne vineyards, but viticulturalists at Champagne Louis Roederer cannot confirm this claim. Allowed to ripen fully, it gives complex wine, saturated with dark fruit nuanced with jam, tar, and leather.”