Growing up in a multi-generational farming family, early on, I began to follow my grandfather around the family farm, as he tended the ranch. One day, in my late teens, he told me it was time to get off the ranch and “go chase lions.”
Something inside me knew what he meant and I have been chasing lions ever since.
We farm two distinctive appellations in California for Chasing Lions, Lodi & Monterey.
Lodi: has a Mediterranean climate with warm days and cool nights. The soil. unlike many other appellations, varies within the AVA. though in most places it is a deep loam that Often littered With rocks. like the French region Of Pape. The Vineyards We source our grapes also benefit from the region's "delta breeze" that kicks up every afternoon and has a cooling effect.
ACRES FARMED: 60
ELEVATION: 150 to 225 feet above sea level
SOILS: Clay Loam
VARIETALS: Cabernet, Merlot
ASPECT: Southeast, Southwest
FIRST VINTAGE: 2003
Monterey: The largest of all American Viticultural Areas, the Monterey AVA runs from the Monterey Bay to the border with Paso Robles. It is one of the most diverse in terms of climatic make-up and types of grapes grown. The most important factor for all farmers in the appellation is their location in relation to the chilly waters of the Pacific Ocean.
ACRES FARMED: 32
ELEVATION: 200 to 1500 feet above sea level
SOILS: Sandy Loam, Oceano Loamy Sand
VARIETALS: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon,
ASPECT: Southeast, Southwest
FIRST VINTAGE: 2018
