Will’s Cabin
The north-west facing ridge is heavily fractured Vacqueros sandstone with steep slopes and awesome exposure. This is an earlier ripening vineyard that produces wines that are seriously structured with a wild, mountain character.
Will’s Cabin Vineyard
“The vineyard is less than half a mile from the “Gist Ranch” vineyard which grows Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and the soil is very similar- a very light, fine dirt known as “Vaquero Sandstone”. Will’s Cabin vineyard, though, is north-facing and much cooler than the neighboring vineyard and therefore much more suitable for Pinot Noir. We have Swan and Mt Eden clones there, which are widely used clones, but we also have a clone called “Mariafeld”, which originated in Switzerland and tends to add a little tannin and darken the color of the wine- the Mariafeld is used, mostly, in the Santa Cruz Mountain Appellation wine.
We have only been making a Single-Vineyard Pinot Noir from this vineyard since 2012, and it’s been very well received. The Single-Vineyard Will’s Cabin Pinot Noir tends to have very red-fruit aromatics (think cranberry, cherry and grapefruit). The spice aromas tend to be a little more subtle than those in our other Single-Vineyard Pinot Noir wines. Flavors are luscious and rich (though the alcohol is usually well under 14%) with finer tannins and a gentle, fading finish. This wine, like the Pinot Noir from “Razorback” tends to be more open and integrated at a younger age than the wines from the Rapley Trail and Windy Hill vineyards. We make very little of the Will’s Cabin Vineyard Pinot Noir and it is usually only available direct from the winery, although we’ve sold it to a few restaurants on special request.”
– Thomas Fogarty, Jr.
Technical Notes
Elevation: 2250-2300 ft.
Size: 3 acres
Exposure: Northwest
Soils: Heavily Fractured, Vaqueros Sandstone
Clone: Swan, Mt Eden
Rootstock: 3309
Vine Spacing: 4′ vines x 7′ rows
