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Redwood Grade
Santa Cruz Mountains · 1,500 ft · 9 mi to the Pacific
The property holds a small number of albino redwoods.
The data
- Appellation
- Santa Cruz Mountains
- Elevation
- 1,500 ft
- Acreage
- 5 acres
- Distance to ocean
- 9 mi
- Geology
- Loma Chiquita ridge
- Soils
- Sandy loam, stoney schist, arkosic sandstone
- Varieties
- Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc
- Clones
- Chardonnay: 17, 548, 76 · Cabernet Franc: 327, 623
- Row orientation
- North to South
- Spacing
- 8 x 4
- Vine age
- 5 years
What this means in the wine
At 1,500 feet and 9 miles from the water, Redwood Grade ripens on its own schedule. Loma Chiquita ridge underneath keeps the vines lean and the wines tight through the middle; the sandy loam, stoney schist, arkosic sandstone holds just enough water to get through a dry September without stress.
Rows run north to south, planted 8 x 4. Vine age: 5 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.