January 12, 2016 – The Albatross Ridge wine label bears the gossamer image of a sailplane, built by one William Hawley Bowlus in the 1930s. You might scratch your head in wonderment that the weighty name of such a symbolic bird could be laid upon a winery, let alone an aircraft. There’s a good story here.
William Hawley Bowlus, known as “Hawley,” was a pioneering sailplane engineer who oversaw construction of Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis. Hawley also created the famous “Baby Albatross” sailplane kit, which he flight-tested from a ridge in Carmel Valley just prior to WWW II.
A prolific designer, Hawley has three aircraft in the Smithsonian, including the very plane on the wine label. He also designed the original Airstream trailer, but being an engineer first and a businessman last, neglected to secure a patent. Once a big landowner, Hawley slowly lost his holdings, and died pretty much broke. But his pioneering spirit lives on in his progeny.
Like the swallows that return each year to Capistrano, Hawley’s grandson, Brad, and his great-grandson, Garrett, unsuspectingly found themselves atop the same ridge in Carmel Valley where Hawley had originally launched the Albatross. But theirs was a far more circuitous route.
Father and son had fallen under the spell of Burgundy wines while on Garrett’s post-college graduation trip to France. They returned home determined to find the perfect place to plant Chardonnay and Pinot, somewhere on the West Coast.
After studying enology and viticulture at the University of Dijon, along with classes at UC Davis, Garrett moved to Oregon. Taking on various winery jobs, he hoped he would soon find the ideal spot for the winery he and his father were determined to establish. So many siren songs beckoned: so many parcels intrigued, but nothing took flight.
Then, in 2007, Brad informed Garrett that he had found something archetypically ideal, right on the Central Coast. It was kismet that this steep land, just seven miles from the Pacific Ocean, turned out to be the very same ridge from which Hawley had tested his Albatross sailplane.
Albatross Ridge vineyard, replete with limestone and shale and reminiscent of Burgundy, keeps some pretty toney company. Located at the top of Laureles Grade, at the southwestern edge of Carmel Valley, it neighbors the vaunted Diamond T Vineyard owned by Robb Talbott, from whence comes some of Talbott’s finest efforts. Nearby is also Pelio Vineyard, Peter Figge’s outstanding Burgundian parcel, which itself has birthed some righteous Pinot Noir, magic in the hands of Chris Weideman of Pellerin.
Albatross Ridge’s 25 acres of vines, farmed by Garrett, is divided into eight blocks of Pinot Noir, with clones 115, 777, 828 and Pommard, and four blocks of Chardonnay, planted with clones 96 and 15.
The diatomaceous soils and cool maritime winds are ideal for growing truly Burgundian style Chardonnay, with its bright, angelic fruit, glowing with just the right amount of inner sunshine and high wire acidity. Pinot finds a natural home here as well, yielding boundlessly energetic aromatics that tend towards red, not black.
Winemaker Garrett thankfully picks them both early, preserving their natural youthfulness without compromising any of their longevity. With alcohols for the most part well below 14% and generally sub 13%, along with naturally generous acidity, these high-flying wines do not need much new oak. Garrett restricts the program to less than 25% for Chardonnay, and less than 30% for Pinots, selecting tight-grained French oak of the finest cooperage, with a preference for Cadus, Ermitage, Latour and Remond. He rarely keeps the wines longer than 11 months in barrel.
Chardonnay is whole cluster pressed and barrel fermented sur lees with absolutely no stirring or racking until bottling: a highly unusual practice. Pinot is done 15% whole cluster, with long cold soaks and cool fermentations in small open top fermenters. Both Chardonnays and Pinots are completely native yeast-driven, including secondary malolactic fermentation. This is winemaking in a hands-off fashion.
Here is a sneak preview of the 2013s, which are just now being released in the tiny tasting room in downtown Carmel.
2013 Estate Chardonnay ($55, 410 cases, 12.5%): Clean floral aromas with distinct honeysuckle are layered with flint, honey and saltwater taffy, revealing a generous depth of stonefruit flavors, along with fresh pear, lime and mandarin. Vivid acidity keeps the wine forging on, with a generous midpalate, leading to a finish of sandy shortbread and dried apricots.
2014 Rosé of Pinot Noir ($25, 240 cases, 13%): This is no saignée: instead, it was picked to make rosé. It begins with aromas of rain-damp earth and a flower garden filled with daisies, lilies and chrysanthemums, then pounces on your palate with rich fruity flavors of apple, cranberry, cinnamon and orange bitters, finishing with savory notes.
2013 Cuvée Vivienne Pinot Noir ($40, 1080 cases, 12.5%): Made from all eight blocks of Pinot and named for Garrett’s daughter, Vivienne, this beautiful wine is a redhead through and through, from first whiff to last sip. Its perfumey flower-laden nose delivers hints of pepper, fern and chamomile, but is dominated by its alluring scent of fresh-baked strawberry rhubarb pie. One racy sip and lovers of Pinots redolent of earthy rhubarb compote, strawberry jam and red raspberries will rejoice. This one is an angelic choir of tingling acidity.
2013 Estate Reserve Pinot Noir ($55, 375 cases, 12.7%): This is a big boy wine, brooding and earthy, with flint, forest floor, mushroom and crab apple on the nose. The color hints at its robust character, filled with cheery cherry, cigar, red plum, cranberry, cinnamon, nutmeg, red currant and mocha, ending with a flourish of flint and citron. This has plenty of stuffing to age for decades.
Hawley would be proud of the free-flying wines his great grandson is making, proving once more the incredible endurance and power of the albatross.
Albatross Ridge tasting room in Carmel-by-the-Sea is on Mission St. between Ocean & 7th, inside the Court of the Fountains, and is open daily from 1 p.m.
About the author
Laura Ness is a longtime wine journalist, columnist and judge who contributes regularly to Edible Monterey Bay, Spirited, WineOh.Tv, Los Gatos Magazine and Wine Industry Network, and a variety of consumer publications. Her passion is telling stories about the intriguing characters who inhabit the fascinating world of wine and food.
