Its champion varietal is Merlot; being from Bordeaux it is variety we are intimate with! French inspired winemaking makes this a Californian wine – with a twist!

The Merlot is sourced from Andy Beckstoffer’s Los Carneros vineyard. Heavily influenced by its proximity to the San Pablo Bay, the maritime climate is further enhanced by the range of mountains residing to the south, east and north. These mountains act as a natural catch basin, trapping the fog and cool maritime breezes that typically funnel into the southern end of the Napa Valley from the San Pablo Bay on summer and fall afternoons. During harvest Los Carneros is able to take advantage of its cooler location farther south in the Napa Valley, allowing Merlot to ripen slowly, achieving full phenolic ripeness before being harvested.

Vinification is very similar to those wines that are made in France. After sorting – firstly by bunch and then, after the de-stemmer, grape by grape, a long cold soak before fermentation occurs. The wine undergo their malolactic fermentation in new and one or two year French oak, and are aged in the same oak. A big, rich and fruity red with lots of crushed-berry and chocolate character with terracotta. Full body and round, soft tannins.