We’re Tops! Local Wineries Are Among Best in the World

August 24, 2021 – Wine & Spirits Magazine is out with their Top 100 for 2021, and once again, local wineries are among them.  Big Basin Vineyards, Calera, Mount Eden and Ridge are proud to bear the distinction of being the best in the world. All four of them have been so honored multiple times. 

Our local stars are in very good company with 20 other prestigious wineries from California named to the list, including Ashes & Diamonds of Napa (which buys fruit from the acclaimed Bates Ranch in the Santa Cruz Mountains), Au Bon Climat, Diamond Creek, Hirsch (who provided Beauregard Vineyards with some Pinot Noir budwood ages ago), Iron Horse, Hendry, Storybook Mountain, Talley and Duckhorn, owner of Calera. 

Winemaker Mike Waller of Calera was delighted with the news saying, “We are always honored to be in the top 100 wineries. It gives us pride in what we have achieved year in and year out.  Little old San Benito County making news is great for us all.” 

With all the attention on San Benito, given the rise in popularity of Enz and Wirz Vineyards, (thank you, Ryan Stirm, Nicole Walsh, Randall Grahm and Ryan Kobza), as well as Siletto, which is so in demand that owner John is now effectively rotating customers in and off the list, it’s further proof that this area really has the goods. After all, Josh Jensen spent years trying to find this Holy Grail of a place. Calera has been named to the Top 100 list nine times since Wine & Spirits began publishing it in 1988.

 “It seems like we get this award almost every year. It goes to show that Mt. Harlan is a special place that continues to keep the wine community enthralled,” says Waller. He thinks the 2018 Calera Mt. Harlan deVilliers Pinot Noir is the hot ticket right now. 

Bradley Brown of Big Basin Vineyards told us that the two wines that put them into the Wine & Spirits Top 100 this year were: 2018 Ferrari Family Vineyard Pinot Noir; and 2018 Lester Family Vineyards Pinot Noir.

“Both vineyards are located in Corralitos, with Ferrari being one of the oldest Pinot vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA. We produced both wines using 100% whole cluster, indigenous yeast fermentations, with no additions of any kind, just pure fruit,” says Brown. Starting with great fruit is always the most important ingredient for great wine, but the right equipment is equally critical. 

Brown says that they started using a new Carlson and Assoc. basket press in 2018. “We feel that using it is somewhat akin to polishing a lens in that we get greater purity/clarity of fruit and expression in the finished wine. Prior to bottling, we did use minimal amounts of SO2 to ensure wine stability, and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Both wines were in barrel for about 18 months prior to bottling, with a small amount of new French oak barrels used (very transparent and not obvious to say the least).”

Jeffrey Patterson of Mount Eden Vineyards, expressed satisfaction with the honor, noting that he’s always happy to be in such company, especially at the annual Top 100 tasting they hold in San Francisco. “It’s a great event, with amazing wine and food!” He says he thinks it’s the fourth time they’ve made the list. Their 2017 Chardonnay was rated 94 points by Wine & Spirits, Vinous, and Wine Enthusiast, while the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon was rated 98 points by Vinous, and 95 pts by Wine & Spirits. The 2017 Pinot Noir was a hit with Parker, who rated it 95 points. 

Ridge has garnered this honor 21 times over its long and storied history. John Olney, Head Winemaker, noted, “Ridge is committed to the production of wines from exceptional vineyards. We rely on traditional winemaking to reveal the unique characteristics of these outstanding sites. For over fifty years, our never ending pursuit of quality has motivated our daily work. The recognition by Wine & Spirits confirms we’re still on the right path.” Olney had overseen winemaking at the Lytton Springs facility in Sonoma, before taking over production duties at the Monte Bello winery, after the departure of long time winemaker, Eric Baugher, who left for Merus in January of this year.

Harvest Updates

On to more harvest updates, as we slowly creep towards ripeness, after a foggy cool summer, especially on the coast.

Blake Yarger of Big Basin Vineyards thinks they’ll begin picking at the end of the month, most likely Pinot Noir from Rodnick Vineyards in Chalone. Spokesperson, Ruthie Guido, also expressed the possibility that Chardonnay from Coastview might beat the Pinot to the punchdown. “He’ll know more when he does sampling later this week,” she said, adding that the Rodnick Pinot will likely be incorporated into the Dune & Mountain Pinot Noir, which began with blending of Coastview and Olson Vineyard fruit a few years back.  Rodnick Vineyard, formerly Antle Vineyard, is owned by Kurt Gollnick, longtime COO of Scheid. 

Ryan Stirm may be praying, like I am, for a boring harvest, but he still says, “It’ll be exciting enough. I think we should be getting Pinot in next week from Cienega (Eden Rift) and Chardonnay from San Benito (Siletto) shortly after that.”

Consulting Winemaker for Dawn’s Dream, Chris Vita, expected to bring in Pinot Noir from Escolle Vineyard first, for the Clone 236 rosé. “It’s been a slow cool year, so I would guess we are still about 2-3 weeks out from our first pick,” Vita told us on August 18. “Somewhere in there we will also get the Zinfandel for the 2021 Eliza Jane, under the Dawn’s Dream label.”

Nicole Walsh of Ser believes her first grapes will be the Orange Muscat from Pear Valley Vineyard in Paso Robles. “Looking like most of my fruit and that for WarRoom wines will be coming on mid September to mid/late October.  Hard to say what will be next.  Likely Grenache for pink. “ 

Randall Grahm may have said YES to pink wine, but there were way more Yes sayers than he could handle, and the Tibouren and Cinsaut rosé sold out almost instantaneously. Our very fast on the keyboard editor, Deborah Luhrman, was among those who scored a few bottles, and she reported, “It’s really good. Flinty and floral at the same time.”

Grahm says he’s looking forward to a bigger crop of rosé fodder this year. “We are about 3 weeks away for the Tibouren, maybe 5 weeks for the Cinsault, and it’s looking even better this year than last.” The drought means tighter bunches and smaller berries.  

Scheid began its 2021 harvest on Friday, August 23, when grapes were picked atIsabelle’s Vineyard, named after founder Al Scheid’s mother.  This is one of the most northerly vineyards in the county, adjacent to Denis Hoey’s Odonata property. The hand-harvested grapes will be used for the company’s namesake brand, Scheid Vineyards, in their Isabelle Cuvée, which will be released in approximately five years. Who knows what the landscape will look like then?