Hello Berserkers!
We are Thomas Fogarty Winery, in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and we’re delighted to participate in our first Berserkers Day! Owned and operated by the Fogarty family for over 40 years, we are very proud of our history, but have never been more confident in our wines than we are today.
“As I taste through the Thomas Fogarty wines on a breezy afternoon with the younger Fogarty and winemaker Nathan Kandler, it quickly becomes clear: These wines are extraordinary. I’m struck by the tension of the Chardonnays — I can still taste the lilting, floral Langley Hill Vineyard bottling! — and, even more, by the ethereal Pinot Noirs, each speaking of its variously foggy plot. These are unique, unreproducible wines.”- Esther Mobley
For those who are not familiar, Tom Fogarty Sr. began planting these vineyards in 1978. Between 1978 and 1983 we planted just under 30 acres of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with the exception of one 2-acre area, these vines have never been re-grafted or replanted.
These vineyards sit at elevations between 1400 and 2000 feet in elevation and have the typical “varied exposure” found in the Santa Cruz Mountains, with significant variances in soil and temperature from site to site. For detailed descriptions of each vineyard, please visit us “virtually” at Vineyards - Thomas Fogarty Winery | Estate Wines Since 1981
For the last fifteen years (or so) our winegrowing has been conducted by Nathan Kandler, who came to us from a stint at Torbreck in the Barossa Valley after gaining prior experience in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Nathan’s involvement as Winegrower has brought our farming practices and production to a new level. His focus on organic farming practices (we are not certified organic) and soil health, not only in our Estate vineyards but in those from which we source elsewhere in the AVA as well.
We think you’ll agree that with 40 years of Estate vine age and highly elevated viticulture and cellar practices our wines have achieved a level of focus, purity and intensity that is rare to find anywhere in the world.