Location
The 365-acre Renaissance vineyard is located in the Sierra Nevada foothills at altitudes of 1700-2300 feet. The terraced amphitheatre-like slope faces mostly southwest, south, and west, with smaller sections facing in all other directions. This is a real mountain vineyard: the vines are all planted on slopes with gradations that vary drastically from gentle to breathtaking. As our wines are all Estate Bottled, it is the vineyard that defines their basic quality and character.

Soil
The red top soil layer (“Dobbins Loam” and decomposed granite) is very shallow, rich in iron, and poor in organic matter. The subsoil is very rocky Garbo/Diorite from volcanic/ocean-floor origin, mixed with quartz, multiple mineral-rich variations of clay, and volcanic ash.

Climate
Continental, with cold, rainy winters (51” yearly average), very dry summers with hot days and cool nights caused by cool air that wafts down from the higher Sierras, and long, dry falls that usually extend into late November, early December.

Viticulture
Planted from 1975-82, our vines are on their own roots, without any rootstock. This is unusual for California. Varieties are planted in carefully selected microclimates and soil combinations to maximize their potential. We follow, work, and harvest over 85 such individual variety/vineyard-site combinations. We practice organic approaches to viticulture, keeping the environment in mind. Severe cane pruning limits our yields to under 2 tons per acre on average. (In comparison, Napa Valley averages about 4 tons per acre.)

Character
The Renaissance Vineyard combines two traits, which are usually considered mutually exclusive. The multiple microclimates and soil variations allow for an astonishing range of grape varieties in a single vineyard, and pure varietal character is consistently evident throughout the Renaissance product line. Yet this unique terroir also leaves its unmistakeable signature in each of our wines. Regardless of the variety, all tend to be concentrated, intensely flavored, with pure fruit aromas, a tell-tale spicy/minerally side, and a powerful structure. Consequently, Renaissance red wines have outstanding aging potential, and acquire complexity and harmony over the course of many years in the bottle.