Our southernmost vineyard, Trout Gulch, sits a mere 3.5 miles from the ocean. Trout Gulch sits at 750 feet above the hamlet of Aptos in the southern Santa Cruz Mountains. The vineyard was planted in 1980 to Wente Chardonnay and Mt Eden Pinot Noir and is carefully tended to by winemaker/vigneron Richard Alfaro. Uplifted oceanic sandy soils create unique drainage sending the vines deep into marine-derived sub-soils. Tucked into a cool coastal redwood drainage allows temperatures here to stay cooler than expected – summertime highs rarely exceeding 80F.
This is our latest harvest of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The extended season and cold fall weather result in excellent fruit purity and naturally high acidity wines. The wines also capture a marine flavor unlike any of our other wines.
