I’ve mentioned them before. New bootstrap label from a couple guys I know in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It’s fun to have a behind the scenes view of the assistant winemakers, interns and so forth in the SCM, as well as the folks who’ve interned with the likes of Ed Kurtzman and Scott Shapley over the years, and the small labels who’ve shared those spaces.
Anyway, I met Cole through the SCM community when he was assistant winemaker at Santa Cruz Mountains Vineyard. He started this label while still there. I know Ken from the same community, but know him better. Can’t recite a complete bio, but he’s a local and fell in love with wine and got his first experience here before working at Williams-Selyem for a couple years (and probably something else) before coming back. A bit later, he did a harvest at Rhys, then started working at one of the vineyard management companies before starting his own.
Their label is featured in the new K&L newsletter. https://www.klwines.com/staff/3005pdf/September19-Domestic.pdf
This is the sort of small label as I know them. Small, as in one or two barrels of each wine. Sometimes that’s all there is from one of these vineyards. What’s particularly exciting is the two wines I’ve actually tried (pre-release at VASCM meetings last year) got added to the K&L inventory:
The '17 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir is the best AV PN I’ve had.
The '17 Ascona Vineyard Syrah is the best carbonic maceration wine I’ve had. The K&L note doesn’t mention that part, just that it’s whole cluster. (Don’t worry, it’s a myth the CM is responsible for those horrific Beaujolais Nouveau characteristics of mostly yesteryear. That’s from a yeast strain.) Gorgeous wine. This is one of my favorite SCM vineyards, too. Up on the summit, it reminds me of the Chaine d’Or Vyd. Ken manages it and has it in prime shape, and now has some notable producers sourcing it. The best Martella wines I’ve had were from here - a few vintages each of Sangiovese and Sauvignon Blanc, which were at least as good as any out of CA.