Our Wines

We currently have under cultivation 14 acres of Pinot Noir and one acre of Chardonnay. These grapes are grown in our own vineyard on the same parcel of land as the winery, thereby insuring that the grapes have minimal handling between vineyard and winery. Following is a brief description of each of our vintages, as well as some comments on Futures.

Windy Oaks Estate Pinot Noir
This is the "jewel in the crown" of our vineyard. We planted our first three acres in the spring of 1996, and we had our first harvest, the traditional "third leaf" in October of 1999. In subsequent years, we planted 10 additional acres of French Pinot Noir clones, and then one more acre of our special Burgundian clone in 2002.

Our 1999 vintage was released in late 2002, and it quickly sold out. We are pleased to say that it won several medals, and we think our subsequent vintages are even better. Our 2000 Pinot Noir, released in October 2003, is a true expression of our terroir. The 2000 has a bouquet of gorgeous cherries, dark berries and a hint of spice that is followed through on the palate, which is big and generous. It provides an excellent underlying structure with a velvety tannin profile and balanced acids that make this a wine that is immediately enjoyable, and as time goes by, one that will become even more complex and compelling.

Growth and Harvest History
1999 - A cool early spring, resulting in late bud break in early April, was followed by warm temperatures in mid-April, and a fairly typical summer with a lot of sunshine and daytime highs around 70F. Harvest was a bit early, on October 2nd and October 16th. The fruit was excellent quality—ripe, but with good acidity and pH.

2000 - This year was characterized by very warm weather in late March, late spring rains in early May, and a slightly warmer than usual summer. This resulted in relatively early harvests on September 18th and October 2nd, with very well-balanced fruit and average yields.

2001 - Growth started early with bud break in mid-March. Then a late spring frost hit on April 3rd with temperatures dipping to 30F, resulting in some bud loss on lower sections of hills. Veraison and harvest were normal, with harvests on October 17th and October 27th. Yields were below normal, with excellent fruit quality.

Windy Oaks Estate Chardonnay
To satisfy family demands for a white wine, we planted one acre to Chardonnay in 1997. Originally intended for private family use, we are happy to report that this is a Chardonnay very much worthy of special release. In the spring of 2003, we officially released our first vintage 2001 Chardonnay, and it has proved very popular.

The 2001 is a pale blond wine which reflects the uniqueness of white wines from the Santa Cruz Mountains, with a minerally taste that resembles the best of the White Burgundies. As well, the 1,000 foot elevation and proximity to the ocean create a much more balanced wine than one expects in California Whites, with the acids in much better harmony with the fruit.

Growth and Harvest History
2001 - Early bud break around March 10th resulted in substantial bud loss from the late spring frost. However, the vines seemed to recover well over the long sunny summer, and harvest occurred on October 11th, with very ripe fruit showing good acidity.

Futures
Buying wine futures is a great way to ensure that you will be able to purchase our wine before release to the general public. It is a particularly good idea with Windy Oaks Estate wine because we are small and we will only be releasing limited amounts of wine for any given year. If you would like to purchase Futures, please send us an email to join the Wine Group and we will send you information as Futures become available.