| Region of production: | Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, Anderson Valley AVA |
| Winery Location: | Los Gatos |
| Year Established: | 2004 |
Vineyard Holdings
- Alpine Vineyard (5.25 ha): 4.1 planted to Pinot Noir, with 16 different clones. South-facing vineyard at 1,200 to 1,500 feet above sea level on sedimentary shale soils.
- Horseshoe Vineyard (7.1): Sedimentary shale and volcanic ash soils at 1,360 to 1,610 feet above sea level. Planted in 2004.
- Family Farm Vineyard (2.5 ha): East-facing vineyard at 400 feet above sea level on alluvial clay loam soil.
- Home Vineyard (0.5 ha): Southwest-facing vineyard at 400 feet on clay loam soils.
- Skyline Vineyard (1.3 ha): South-/west-facing vineyard at 2,360 feet above sea level on shale, mudstone, sandstone, and limestone with little to no topsoil. Massale selection vines consisting of 12 different clones.
- Bearwallow Vineyard (14 ha): Southwest-facing vineyard at 300 to 600 feet on shale and sandstone. Massale selection vines planted in 2000 and 2008.
Top Wines Produced
- Alpine Vineyard (Santa Cruz Mountains AVA)
- Swan Terrace (Santa Cruz Mountains AVA): Selection from an east-facing parcel in the Alpine Vineyard.
- Alpine Vineyard Hillside (Santa Cruz Mountains AVA): Selection from Alpine Vineyard intended to convey the site’s top expression.
- Horseshoe Vineyard (Santa Cruz Mountains AVA)
- Horeshoe Vineyard Hillside (Santa Cruz Mountains AVA): Selection from Horseshoe Vineyard.
- Family Farm Vineyard (Santa Cruz Mountains AVA): Inaugural vintage 2004.
- Home Vineyard (Santa Cruz Mountains AVA)
- Skyline Vineyard (Santa Cruz Mountains AVA)
- Bearwallow Vineyard (Anderson Valley AVA): Inaugural vintage 2008.
Average Total Production
- 60,000 bottles
Summary
Silicon Valley entrepreneur Kevin Harvey was a Burgundy lover who decided to jump headfirst into winemaking in the 1990s. After some initial success in 1995 with his backyard vineyard in Woodside (now aptly named “Home Vineyard”), Kevin sought out potential vineyard sites in the Santa Cruz Mountains with the assistance of winemaker Jeff Brinkman in the early 2000s. Since the beginning, Kevin implemented a biodynamic and organic approach. Vineyards are planted entirely to suitcase and heritage clones, and a new winery was completed in time for the 2010 harvest.
Style & Vinification Techniques
Winemaking is relatively uniform across the vineyards to encourage site expression. Grapes are foot trodden in stainless steel tanks. Fermentations occur without inoculation and with a varying degree of stem inclusion. The entire production process is done through gravity flow, without pumps. New, four-year-dried French oak is used in various percentages to age wines for up to 18 months. Wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered and rarely exceed 13% ABV.
Producer Website: Rhys