Making Stellar Wine in the Santa Cruz Mountains
During winter time storms whip savagely through the pass where Burrell
School Vineyards is located high in the Santa Cruz Mountains, creating a
spectral and awesome atmosphere that would leave most people more than a
little shaken. Tucked cozily away in the hundred-plus year-old red schoolhouse
they call home and that is the namesake of their winery, Dave and Anne Moulton
don’t mind the inclement weather one bit. Quite the opposite: “I find it
exciting,” explains Anne.
The Santa Cruz Mountains, situated just inland from California’s Pacific
coastline south of San Francisco, have long challenged the mettle of adventurers
who aim to carve out a life and a living in their midst. The upside? The
region’s varied microclimates, strong marine influence, myriad exposures
and complex soils create some of the world’s most interesting wines. Plus,
it’s absolutely gorgeous there. For folks like the Moultons, this combination
is pretty near perfection and more than enough reason to put up with the
windy backcountry roads and freaky winter storms that characterize the region.
Hard-learned lessons
That’s not to say that there haven’t been set-backs for the Moultons
since staking their claim at the historic property. When they moved over
30 years ago into the schoolhouse built around 1890 by Santa Cruz mountains
pioneer Lyman Burrell, the Moultons, by their own account, “did everything
wrong.” With no formal education in viticulture, the couple botched everything
from rootstock selection to the irrigation system design. The land was
not forgiving; it soon became clear that the aspiring vintners would need
to tear everything out and begin again.
Wiser and more determined than ever, the Moultons did their homework the
second time around. A self-imposed crash course in running an estate winery
saw Dave attend viticulture and oenology classes at Davis while Anne hit
the books at home. Four years and 3,200 hand-planted vines later, they were
back in business. Anne, who spent more than 600 hours planting vines in
crisp late winter weather, says that what kept her going was anticipating
her first glass of Chardonnay produced from the vines. “I still get goose
bumps,” she says of walking amongst Burrell School Vineyards’ estate vines
at their 1,600-ft elevation property overlooking the stunning Pine Flats
plateau.
High marks for the Moultons
Today the Moultons’ hard work and passion is evident in their wines,
many of which have netted impressive awards including a Best of State
honor at the California State Fair for their Cabernet Franc, the winery’s
signature varietal. Modeled after wines made in France’s renowned Chinon
appellation, the Burrell School Vineyards 2003 Estate Pichon Vineyard
Cabernet Franc enchants with black cherry and blackberry aromas and flavors
underpinned by appealing notes of pepper, cocoa, bell pepper and well-integrated
American oak. The Chinon style is evident in the wine’s assertive pepper
notes, which are considered a key characteristic of the Cabernet Franc
grape variety.
Burrell School Vineyards also produces a host of other varietal wines made
mostly from estate grown fruit. The broad selection includes Pinot Noir,
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Zinfandel and Chardonnay. Why so many
varietals? The Santa Cruz Mountains AVA (American Viticultural Area), which
spans more than 35,000 acres between Silicon Valley to the east and Monterey
Bay to the west, is a veritable chameleon in terms of grape variety suitability.
Its diverse soil types, microclimates and exposures, coupled with its fortuitous
proximity to the cooling Pacific, can be thanked for making it one of the
most diverse winegrowing regions on the planet. One might say the region
makes up in varietal flexibility what it lacks in physical accessibility
and hospitable weather during the winter months.
Struggle is a good thing
This is great news for creative winemakers like Dave Moulton who
enjoy experimenting with different grape varieties. Besides Dave’s outstanding
Cabernet Franc, the Burrell School Vineyards 2002 Reserve Bottling Pinot
Noir is also one to seek out, with suave tannins and lush red fruit flavors
deftly backed by earth and spice. The wine is a great example of the appealing
balance between earth- and fruit-driven flavors that wines made from mountainous
soils often strike. This balance is a result of the vines’ need to struggle
through thin mountain topsoil to reach critical nutrients beneath. The
general rule of thumb in the wine world, after all, is the poorer the
soil, the better the wine.
And so when it comes to grapevines, struggle is a good thing. Fortunately
for consumers of Santa Cruz Mountains wines, there’s lots of struggling
to be found in the region, amongst both the vines themselves and the brave
folks like the Moultons with enough mettle to tend them. Their efforts are
consistently rewarded with dynamite mountain wines teeming with ripe fruit
and layered complexity. Clearly, Dave and Anne deserve an A+ for this lesson.
Visiting Burrell School Vineyards
Burrell School Vineyards is open for visitors Thursday through
Sunday from 11am to 6pm and by appointment. Weekends are the most popular
time to visit, and guests are encouraged to relax on the expansive deck
behind the tasting room to enjoy breathtaking views of the surrounding
mountains, Pine Flats plateau and Big Basin.
Directions and further details can be found at the BSV website.
Burrell School Vineyards
24060 Summit Rd
Los Gatos, CA 95033
Tasting: open Thurs-Sun and by appointment
Tel: (408) 353-6290
www.burrellschool.com
Wine
Buzz