The Pinot Noir used is from Home Ranch Vineyard, located on the east side of the winery, which is famous as the first vineyard in California to plant the Pommard clone of Pinot Noir.
The grapes are hand-picked at night and pressed directly; no malolactic fermentation takes place.
Producing high-quality Pinot Noir in California is said to be difficult, so Dick Ward and David Graves traveled throughout the state in search of the ideal location. When they came across Carneros, which had just been designated an AVA, they were convinced that it was the place they were looking for.
Their elegant style quickly became a hot topic and in 1983 they were served at a banquet for Queen Elizabeth.
Their style, which remains committed to this region, has a deep, fruity flavor that is representative of the Carneros climate.
In recent years, the style has been transformed into something more sophisticated, heralding new possibilities for Carneros.
(Co-founder Dick Ward passed away in 2017.)