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VINEYARDS Piedra Hill Vineyard, Howell Mountain
Marimar Vineyard, Russian River Valley
Umino Vineyard, Sonoma Coast
Hellenthal Owned and farmed by our friends Gard and Lori Hellenthal, this vineyard lies just 5 miles from the Pacific Ocean. They planted their first vineyards in 1980 on land that sits at 1200 feet elevation, justabove the fog line. These wind-swept coastal vineyards see extreme patterns of weather duringthe year: powerful, strong storms in the winter months and long arid dry summers. Theseextreme growing conditions allow for extraordinary development of Pinot Noir structure and flavor. With yields of less than 2 tons per acre, Hellenthal fruit comes to our winery with intense flavor concentration. This is the essence of what the Sonoma Coast Appellation is all about. Maritime Maritime is our proprietary name for the very best Pinot Noir from the vintage. Originally we named the wine for the vineyard we purchased in 1992 near Cazadero. Maritime Pinot Noir is now predominantly from two vineyards located just miles from the Pacific Ocean, the Ben Hurst or Twin Hill Ranch Vineyard and The Hanes Vineyard. In some vintages of Maritime we’ve been known to include small lots of Marimar Estate Vineyard and Umino Vineyard for some added complexity. The Twin Hill Ranch Vineyard was originally planted as an apple orchard in 1942. This small four acre Pinot Noir vineyard is now owned and farmed by Ben Hurst. It lies in one of the coolest growing regions, southwest of the town of Sebastopol in western Sonoma County. The vineyard is planted with the Swan clone and Dijon 777. The property for this vineyard is owned and farmed by Ben Hurst. It is located just southwest of Sebastopol. Ben’s family has been growing and processing apples for generations. However, he too realized the potential for Pinot Noir in this area. Here it is as cool as it gets in ‘west county’. Four one acre blocks are planted, two to Dijon 777 and two to a Swan clone. Swan is a very late ripening clone of Pinot Noir. With the expansion of the Russian River Valley this vineyard is now in that appellation. The wine from this vineyard typically offers dark red cherry, sweet plum and Mr. Lincoln roses, spiced with white pepper and powdered sumac, over a firmer core of darker fruits and mineral spice. The Hanes Vineyard is owned by David Hanes and is located west of Sebastopol on Burnside Road in the Sonoma Coast Appellation. This vineyard is farmed as a ‘labor of love’ with total devotion to developing perfect Pinot Noir flavors. This cool climate vineyard, one of our favorites, is planted to clone 777. These Sonoma Coast Appellation vineyards are farmed to low yields with concentration of flavor in mind and each brings unique qualities to the finished wine. Some other vineyards used in the Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
The Morris Ranch located near the town of Petaluma, these hillside vineyards were planted in 2001 to Pinot Noir clones 115, 667, 777, and Pommard. The vineyards lie in the middle of the foggy ‘Petaluma Gap’ growing region all within the Sonoma Coast Appellation. All of the Sonoma Coast Appellation vineyards that we use are farmed for low yields, usually no more than 2 tons per acre. Every year, we’re looking for concentration of fruit, bright acidity and that heavenly Pinot Noir silkiness that is so sought after. Saltonstall This vineyard is past the town of Petaluma heading west. The area there tends to be very cold which leads to slow but steady maturation with great fruit concentration. This vineyard also sells their fruit to Shramsberg for champagne. The vines planted here all tend to be Dijon 667 and 777 and we receive both clones. The vineyard is also biodynamic and is often picked at night. Generally we have to really keep a good eye on the weather around harvest as it can be quite different from ours on top of Howell Mountain.
707-965-9726 • info@whsmithwines.com • 1181 Las Posadas Road (not open to the public) • Tasting Room
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Bill
and Joan have been residents of Howell Mountain for X years, the
first recognized viticultural district in the Napa Valley. In 1999
after the sale of their first Howell Mountain winery, La Jota, they
purchased a 41-acre parcel on the mountain adjacent to their home.
During the clearing of the vineyard there was an amazing amount
of rocks and they constantly heard the workers say “tantas
piedras” or “so many rocks”. The name of the vineyard
seemed to be chosen by destiny - Piedra Hill Vineyard was born.
Knowing how perfect this site was for Bordeaux varietals they planted
6.7 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petite Verdot,
and Cabernet Franc. 76% of the fruit was Cabernet Sauvignon –
the wine they planned to make from this vineyard. Five different
clones were planted -337 and BV4 making up the majority. The soil
is Tufa or Volcanic Ash with sufficient iron content to color the
soil a light brownish red. The climate on Howell Mountain is quite
different to that in the heart of Napa Valley, most definitely a
different microclimate. Usually Howell Mountain can be up to two
weeks behind the rest of the valley although the air stays warmer
up here on the hill at night time.
The
Marimar Vineyard is one of our favorites. We began purchasing fruit
from Marimar Torres’s organic Dona Margarita Vineyard in the
Sonoma Coast Appellation in 200? This beautiful vineyard farmed
biodynamically is on the Bohemian Highway, between the tiny towns
of Freestone and Occidental in Western Sonoma County - seven miles
from the Pacific Ocean. In the European tradition, this vineyard
is planted with 2,340 vines per acre – more than four times
the normal density in California. The vineyard’s twelve acres
of Pinot Noir are planted with two different clones, Pommard and
Dijon. This specific area has a very cool microclimate, classified
as Region 1. The ocean fog provides cool nights, but days are warm
as the vineyard is usually above the fog line. The soil is comprised
of a thin layer of sandy loam of volcanic origin and marine sediment
over fractured Sandstone subsoil, formed from an ancient seabed.
The sandstone subsoil has the ability to hold moisture because of
its porosity but still imparts superb drainage, ideal for Pinot
Noir.
Ben
Hurst, another one of our vineyard owners, originally recommended
the Umino Vineyard to us. Dave Umino owns and farms this 11acre
vineyard located on Blucher Valley road, southwest of Sebastopol
in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County. When David planted
the land to four Dijon clones of Pinot Noir (115, 459, 667 and 777)
in 1997. Others told him he was crazy – that it was simply
too cold for growing grapes. We’re sure glad he didn’t
listen! In the past this fruit has gone into our Maritime bottling,
but we loved this fruit so much in 2006 we decided to make a vineyard
designated bottling.
The
Flocchini Vineyard
with 4 different Pinot Noir clones (Pommard, 777, Swan and La Tâche)
Flocchini fruit comes from the ‘Petaluma Gap’ viticulture
area, a microclimate that sits within the Sonoma Coast wine region.