Our San Ignacio Vineyard is located 9 miles Northeast of the winery and sits at an elevation of 2,300-2,350ft, approximately 900’ higher than the winery. We chose this property because of its proximity next to a ridgetop that has a consistent breeze which helps to lessen frost danger in the spring. It has similar daytime temperatures as Temecula valley floor, but without morning fog, and a slightly dryer climate. The sandy loam soil allows for good drainage, has the preferred PH range, and contains a good amount of natural nutritious organic material. We planted four Bordeaux grape varieties in 2013- Carmenere, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Merlot, with the intent to create big, bold, age worthy red wines. The clones we selected were for their deep color, intense fruit flavors and aroma.
One of the challenges with this vineyard is there is very little well water available, so vines are as close to dry farmed as possible. Because of the dry conditions, the vines produce pea sized berries with concentrated flavor that create rich intense wines. Although the yields are low, and we have to work harder to get them, the fruit we harvest is incredible and consistently produces Reserve quality wine. Our Reserve blend Unforgiving, a blend using 100% San Ignacio grown grapes, is named after these challenging and “unforgiving” conditions.
The four varieties planted at San Ignacio are:
Carmenere: Our San Ignacio vineyard is our first vineyard we planted an Italian clone of Carmenere, known for its red and black black berry flavors, crimson color, and herbaceous green peppercorn notes in. Used in our “Unforgiving” blend and other future blends the Carmenere adds color and “pepper spice”.
Cabernet Sauvignon: Our San Ignacio Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon produces high intensity fruit that is used in our blends like our 2017 Grand Rouge and in future releases like the 2018 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. The San Ignacio Cabernet Sauvignon fruit has shown Reserve potential each harvest.
Malbec: Also used in the Unforgiving blend, the San Ignacio Malbec adds to this Bordeaux style blend that showcases ample concentration, body, and age worthiness as a delicious reward for all of the hard work.
Merlot: The 2018 Reserve San Ignacio Merlot is scheduled to be released in January 2021. Expect Red fruit and peppers, with incredibly smooth tannins, making it a big red that can still appeal to a wide audience.
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