One of the most compelling vineyards in all of California: high elevation, steep slopes, thin rocky soils, own-rooted 48-year-old vines planted to the old Wente selection. For us, this is the ultimate terroir. Nervy and packed with notes of fresh citrus, white flowers, and pure minerality.

Reviews

93+ points. John Gilman, View from the Cellar

“The P. M. Staiger Vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains was originally planted prior to prohibition and revived again in 1973, making these ungrafted vines now forty-eight years of age. Sean and Joanna first started producing wine from this superb vineyard in 2016 and their 2021 Chardonnay comes in at 13.5 percent octane and offers up a beautiful aromatic constellation of pear, pineapple, a touch of orange zest, a hint of iodine, a lovely foundation of minerality, fruit blossoms and a delicate framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and focused, with a snappy spine of acidity, excellent depth of fruit at the core, impressive mineral undertow and grip and a long, complex and impeccably balanced finish. This is a beautiful young chardonnay! It is very tasty already, but clearly will gain in complexity with some cellaring time. 2023-2045.”

Vineyard and Cellar Notes

We find such joy in the simplicity of making white wine. For us, it is purely the product of careful pick decisions, skillful choices at the press, and a lot of patience. Beginning in the vineyard, we are constantly tasting and waiting for acidity and flavor to reach their point of optimal balance. Our Chardonnay is then gently whole-cluster pressed as we watch over the ever-changing flavors, textures, and chemistry that transpires during the pressing cycle. We separate the juice into distinct lots and leave them to settle overnight. The next day, we fill lightly used barrels, by gravity, with the settled juice. Each barrel remains tucked away in the cellar, undisturbed, to begin fermenting at its own pace. There is no inoculating, no stirring, no additions – just time. We monitor each barrel’s unique fermentation over the course of 12 months. Once the wines are ready, they are moved into stainless steel for an additional 6 months of aging. The added aging provides the wine with additional focus and length.

• Steep, terraced vineyard above the San Lorenzo Valley
• Own-rooted, 48 year old vines
• Old Wente selection
• Western facing slope
• Extremely shallow Sandstone - Shale soils
• Organically Farmed
• Harvested 9/8/21
• Raised in Neutral French Oak and followed by additional aging in Stainless Steel Barrique