Had the opportunity to take a tour with Winemaker Scott McLeod yesterday at the Skywalker Ranch. Truly remarkable place, and certainly the limit for ripening Pinot noir and Chardonnay on the coast. Colder and windier in my experience than any of the cool sites of the “true” Sonoma Coast (except maybe Coastlands/Seascape), with a dense Marin fog that just seemed to linger. The wines were excellent, with the 2012 Chardonnay one of the finer examples I have come across in the new world. 12.9% alcohol with grip and nerve with great texture. The Pinot was a bit gutsier, with the 2010 showing more fruit on the less ripe side of the spectrum - Raspberries & Strawberries. The 2012 had more stuffing with a darker tone and grippy tannin. Recommended all around!
They are going to start doing tastings there (we were the first to receive such great treatment)! Not to be missed in the future, only to become more interesting as vines age, and new blocks are planted…
I think the weather of the day may have clouded your perceptions of the area. Yesterday we had a low pressure system move in through the area and most of the west Sonoma/Marin Coast was pretty cold, windy and fogged in. Ripening wise that vineyard comes in a bit earlier and riper than other sites in the Sebastopol Hills area, Western Marin or more exposed sites to the Petaluma Gap. The ridge top blocks are less exposed then several other sites in the area such as Devil’s Gulch or Orogeny’s old Redding Ranch which are both due west from that site. That said a fantastic site with a very distinct flavor profile.
I’m sure I’ll have to make my way back there in the future and see for myself! It is in a nice little pocket, and I’d be intrigued to see what it looks like on a warmer day. Certainly with fruit coming in (mostly) before the end of September and decent brix levels, it’s a great spot of Pinot. Was just thinking more of the areas up near Flowers/Hirsch/Precious Mountain that are above the fog a lot of days. Yesterday had the feel of a blustery day at Hawk Hill…
Certainly going to have to explore more of Marin, having sourced fruit from the Petaluma Gap and such. Was a great vineyard to visit, and gave a good impression of what the potential is. Certainly a great home for Dijon clones, not sure how ripening would be on Pommard or Martini up there. Might push picking off a couple of weeks.
I’ve spoken with Scott on a couple of occasions at the Marin County Wine Celebration (reports on several of those on Grape-Nutz.com as well) but haven’t made it to the Skywalker Ranch vineyards yet. I’d imagine that Brian is correct that the vineyard is in a warmer pocket than most vineyard sites in Marin. The Skywalker Pinots I’ve tasted so far are in a somewhat bigger, richer style than most from Marin - sort of a “middle-of-the-road” style in terms of California Pinot. I’ve really liked Skywalker’s Viandante del Cielo (essentially Skywalker in Italian) wines - Chard, Pinot Rosé, and Pinot Noir - a less expensive line with less new oak and more early-drinking appeal in comparison to the more “serious” Skywalker line-up.
Ken, thanks for the article link- definitely interesting. I like your map, with vineyard locations, gives a good sense of topography. After 5 years at Williams Selyem, I was quite familiar with Pinot from most of California, Marin has been a great surprise. I’ve been privileged to have tried several Marin Pinots in the last 6 months or so, and Skywalker has been at the ripe end of the spectrum (probably due to their sheltered location). The second line of wines is great, and generally reflects Scott’s preference for a bit leaner style in some instances.
Funny that the original plantings were actually Merlot (and tucked at the bottom of the hill, where frost is a problem)…
I look forward to more great things from such a great area!
Mark Pasternak from Devil’s Gulch planted the hillside Pinot and managed it for George until recently. I worked in the main house on EP1 back in the 90s and have some interesting stories about that place;). I was told recently that he wants to put the tasting room at Big Rock. I was sure that he was going to turn Grady Ranch into a winery and build the building that he wanted to build there for wine rather than for ILM. I suppose Big Rock will be a splendid bucolic location with the views and lake.
From what I gather, that was the plan, until the Disney acquisition. Instead, they’ve repurposed an old archive warehouse into a custom winery. They plan to build a cave and tasting room as well outside the building. Perfect size for a small winery… I’m sure the stories are quite something, I can only imagine what it was like when that place was humming. Pretty quiet at Big Rock, but quite the location for sure!
Not quite the view at the archives building. Will have plenty of cache of course. I remember looking at the model for the back valley long before any of the Presidio business started. It was going to be incredible. It will be a destination winery no matter where he puts it. I had the Pinot at Dixie last year before it closed. I thought it was really good and immediately called my contacts up there to check on fruit availability. Nothing available unfortunately.
Unfortunately as far as a fruit source goes, it is strictly for the use of Skywalker as a still wine. It does make it into some fine sparkling though! I suppose if anyone were able to get it would be you! Such a special spot, and really excited to see what is in store. Certainly not the view of the proposed area, but glad to see the vines do get the best one!