Established in 1990, Thompson Vineyard lies just inland from California’s windswept Central Coast on the eastern side of the cool San Antonio Creek Valley in Northern Santa Barbara County.  It rests within the Alisos Canyon corridor where transverse mountain ranges flood the area with daily fog and ocean air, extending chilly mornings and afternoons, softening midday heat, and yielding cold and often icy nights.

Planted to primarily Rhone varietals, here the vines sit on their own roots in alluvial sand over a deep foundation of white limestone that once comprised the floor of the Pacific Ocean.  Thompson Vineyard naturally produces extremely small, slow, and evenly-ripening yields that often stretch harvests well into late November, resulting in deeply complex cool-climate wines that evolve gracefully with age.

Grapes were hand harvested at night, hand sorted, de-stemmed, and cold soaked for 72 hours.  The fruit was then partially foot-stomped by our children and then fermented in small open-top bins with daily manual punchdowns.  After fermentation, the wine was gently pressed and then aged for 11 months in 100% neutral French oak barrels.  Bottled September 19, 2017 and then rested for two years before release.  We expect it will improve with age over the next 7-10 years.