Current Release
Winter 2021

In our Estate Vineyards
Winemaking is a cycle, and as we enter the new year the cycle continues with pruning all 150 acres of Beckmen grapevines. Our crew passes through both of our vineyards twice: once for the initial pre-prune of the canopy, clearing out the tall canes and brush, and second for the critical final prune cut. Pruning is a very important task that sets up the crop size on each vine for the year ahead. Each bud we leave behind will hopefully produce a couple of grape clusters come spring. A lot of other factors will affect the crop size throughout the long growing season, but this is the first step in setting the stage for the 2021 vintage.

The grapevines may be bare and dormant, but our cover crops are growing beautifully due to the good rainfall we received in the beginning of 2021. Every December, we plant an organic cover crop between the rows of grapevines as a natural way to feed and add nitrogen back into our soil. The crop is a mix of grass and legumes, including climbing peas, vetch, and beans, which we will continue to grow until they start to flower. After flowering, we will mow each row and run a disc to incorporate the beneficial, organic plant materials into the soil. The legumes have nitrogen fixing nodules on their root systems, which improves the health of our soil the most natural way possible.


Inside our Winery
We are gearing up for bottling season! We will be bottling different wines for two or three days every month for the next six months. A lot of work must happen before a wine goes into the bottle. We are busy finishing blends — sometimes a blend of one varietal from different parts of the vineyard or sometimes a blend of different varietals — emptying barrels, filling tanks, and finishing wines. Our wines are bottled via a mobile bottling line, so if you see a semi-truck parked next to the winery you know what we are up to!

Barrel management is also an important task during the winter months. We taste every barrel of wine, making sure the wines are developing well as they age and mature. We check the secondary fermentation (malolactic fermentation, where malic acid is converted to lactic acid) which happens after the primary (alcohol) fermentation. This secondary fermentation enhances the texture and feel of the wine, adding a rounder, creamier quality. All of our red wines will go through this secondary fermentation, but we inhibit it in most of our white wines.

Visit Our Working Winery Estate
We are safely open for outdoor wine tastings and gazebo reservations by appointment only. The winter months are a beautiful time to visit our vineyard, as the lush green grasses and cover crops grow to almost the same height as our dormant vines.
You can book your reservation on our website or call us at 805−688−8664 ext. 200. We are open for wine tastings and gazebo reservations Friday — Sunday and Wednesdays for Wine Club members only. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Wines in This Release
Select a wine below for more details
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Cool, brisk aromatics of lychee, stone fruit, candied ginger, and jasmine jump from the glass of the 2019 Purisima Mountain Vineyard Viognier. The mouth is balanced and round with great acidity coming from the very cool harvest in 2019, with flavors that echo the aromas with more stone fruits, citrus, and ginger that linger on the very long finish. A wonderfully refreshing Viognier to drink now and over the next 5-7 years! Crafted from 100% certified biodynamic viognier.
Retail: $39
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As usual, ripe Grenache fruit is highlighted in this bottling with fresh strawberry, cranberry, dark cherry, and a touch of milk chocolate aromatics. The mouth is filled with more strawberry, raspberry, and cherry flavors with a touch of vanilla on the finish. A cool vintage brought this Grenache some high acidity which carries the fruit flavors on the long finish. Combining great texture and structure, the 2019 should age beautifully for the next 10+ years.
Retail: $36
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Drinking like a reserve Cuvee le Bec, the 2018 Barrel Select Cuvee is amazing! A blend of 48% Syrah, 27% Grenache, and 25% Mourvedre from the Estate and Purisima Mountain Vineyard fruit, the wine has knockout aromas of raspberry, black currant, violet, thyme, and blueberry. Intense and round in the mouth, the wine has great balance with good acidity that keeps this large wine light on its feet. The tannins are very fine and long, providing the needed structure to age the wine over the next 20-25 years.
Retail: $60
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Block Six was the first section of Purisima Mountain Vineyard to be farmed biodynamically starting in 2002 and is the highest elevation block in the vineyard featuring significant deposits of chalky limestone. These factors contribute to a wine that has consistently been our finest Syrah bottling.
A great wine from a great vintage, enough said! The 2018 Purisima Mountain Vineyard Block Six Syrah is filled with intense blackberry fruit, smoke, pepper, minerals, and wild game flavors and aromas. The wine is full bodied with some big tannins that will allow the wine to age wonderfully. It is a bit young today, so decanting is recommended if you decide to open it in the next few years. Enjoy it over the next 25-30 years. Crafted from 100% certified biodynamic grapes.
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