Le Boeuf

The data

Appellation

Santa Cruz Mountains

Elevation

1,050 ft

Acreage

3.5 acres

Distance to ocean

3.5 mi

Geology

Cretaceous

Soils

Quartz and schist

Varieties

Chardonnay

Clones

Wente

Row orientation

East to West

Spacing

12 x 5

Vine age

53 years

What this means in the wine

At 1,050 feet and 3.5 miles from the water, Le Boeuf ripens on its own schedule. Cretaceous underneath keeps the vines lean and the wines tight through the middle; the quartz and schist holds just enough water to get through a dry September without stress.

Rows run east to west, planted 12 x 5. Vine age: 53 years. Older wood here gives smaller clusters and more concentrated, more savoury fruit than the young blocks, which is why we keep the lots separate in the cellar and usually bottle them that way too.