The vineyard was established in 1995, with most of the planting taking place in 1998. Located at the base of the Sierra Madre Mountains at an elevation of 2400 feet, the warm summer days are complemented by the cool air coming down the mountain at night, giving the grapes an even, slow ripening. The entire property is off the grid, powered with solar panels and using passive solar heated water. A backup irrigation system is fed by a small well that is pumped using solar power. Vines and olive trees have been added over the years, rounding out 5 acres of grapevines with a few rows of Spanish, Italian, and French olive trees nestled in between. Zinfandel, Shiraz, Mourvedré, Mission, and Pedro Ximénez grape varietals thrive in this Mediterranean climate, continuing to produce grapes even in years of extreme drought.
With just 5 acres of dry-farmed vines, production is limited to between 250-450 cases of wine per year, depending on the amount of rainfall during the winter rainy season. The local Mediterranean climate of winter rainfall and dry summers, accentuated by the rain shadow of the Sierra Madre Mountains, provides the perfect opportunity to produce complex intensity in the grapes. Ecological farming methods, combined with traditional dry-farm techniques, produce unique wines in addition to protecting and conserving natural resources.
