Refined and retooled

Unfortunately, Jim passed away a few years ago, and dealing with the vineyard was too much for his family. In recent years, the vineyard's performance and yields had been compromised due to virus infection spread by mealybug pests that have high populations in the Santa Maria Valley. The vines were showing their age and the ground needed to be redeveloped. I was fortunate enough to partner with some friends from the vineyard business to purchase Le Bon Climat, and we put together a team to redevelop the land.

When we replanted in 2023, we opted to diversify the property with many more grapes besides Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. While we wanted to respect the burgundian tradition at the property, we also planted a wide range of grapes that we feel have potential in these farming conditions. We planted 16 different varieties overall that will come online over the next few years, including some that are the first of their type in California, like Grolleau and Pineau d’Anuis (which are originally from the Loire Valley).

We’re finally able to release the first results of our experiment (though some club members got a little sneak preview earlier this year). In our 2024 vintage, our 2-year-old vines yielded a bit of fruit, which we hand harvested at just the right time. We were lucky enough to get 12 barrels’ worth of Sauv Blanc, plus two lonely barrels of other white grapes and two barrels of mixed reds.

Check out the wines below, and keep an eye out: There will be plenty more to come as this vineyard becomes another anchor property for the Field Recordings lineup.