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Red Tail
Santa Cruz Mountains · 1,585 ft · 8.6 mi to the Pacific
The epicenter of the Loma Prieta earthquake.
The data
- Appellation
- Santa Cruz Mountains
- Elevation
- 1,585 ft
- Acreage
- 0.35 acres
- Distance to ocean
- 8.6 mi
- Geology
- Vaqueros sandstone and volcanic rock
- Soils
- Landslide deposits from Butano sandstone and iron oxide
- Varieties
- Syrah
- Clones
- French Côte-Rôtie selection and Estrella
- Row orientation
- East to West
- Spacing
- 6 x 4
- Vine age
- 35 years
What this means in the wine
At 1,585 feet and 8.6 miles from the water, Red Tail ripens on its own schedule. Vaqueros sandstone and volcanic rock underneath keeps the vines lean and the wines tight through the middle; the landslide deposits from butano sandstone and iron oxide holds just enough water to get through a dry September without stress.
Rows run east to west, planted 6 x 4. Vine age: 35 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.