Windy Hill
2.5 acres are buffeted by wind, drenched in fog, and grown in desperately shallow soil. The wines are ethereal with red fruits, spice, and distinct mineral notes.
Windy Hill Vineyard
“The Windy Hill Vineyard occupies one of the most dramatic sites at the Fogarty Estate. Shallow, rocky soils and a direct line to the maritime air make this an incredibly compelling place to grow Pinot Noir. The original vineyard had a really tough row orientation that was perpendicular to the coastal weather, the vines ran across the hill. I first encouraged Michael to set aside a small bottling of Windy Hill from the 2007 vintage due to the unique nature of the fruit and spice elements of the wine. I had never tasted a domestic Pinot Noir with such an exotic profile and was inspired to develop a single vineyard bottling from our highest elevation site. Unfortunately the old-vines began to fail, likely due to vineyard layout, and re-planting became the obvious choice after the farewell 2010 vintage. We changed the orientation as well as the vine density and even had some room set aside for our solar array. In the summer of 2012 we completed the re-plant with a mix of heritage selections of Pinot Noir on meter by six foot spacing.”
– Nathan Kandler
Technical Notes
Year Planted: 2012
Elevation: 1,990 ft.
Size: 2 acres
Exposure: Western, steep
Soils: Lambert Shale
Clone: Calera, Mt. Eden and Swan
Rootstock: 420A
Vine Spacing: 3.5′ vines x 6′ rows
