Newsletter Fall – 30th Anniversary Of Saucelito Canyon
Dear Friends,
I remember looking at Saucelito for the first time 30 years ago. It was spring when the road had dried enough to get into the property. I was struck by the physical beauty of the place. On my first visit, I knew that Saucelito had setting and climate, but the soil really convinced me this was it. Every time we crossed a wash or went over a hill to another canyon, I would ask the realtor (Dennis Ahern – now a Saucelito Canyon Wine Club Member) to stop. I would get out and dig with my hands and hold this beautiful sandy soil. At each wash, I would go down to the bottom and look at the soil profile of the 10-foot bank–sand, sand, sand. After growing up in the Santa Barbara foothills, where clay is something one found between rocks, I thought, “I could grow anything here.”
And underneath was the sandy soil so willing to please. And so 30 years ago, a 30-year-old man bought 560 acres and 2,500 old grapevines in need of a lot of work. The property had no water, no electricity, no phone, no improvements, just old vines. Three years later, after restoring each individual vine, Saucelito started again producing grapes and wine as it had all those years ago.
This summer has been very mild without the drama of hot spells or wildfires. The days flow evenly, one to the next, and time passes unnoticed. But the shadows are longer, the days are shorter, and harvest is creeping up quietly on little fox feet. Tomorrow, I am preparing to crush grapes, here in the first week of September. These particular Zinfandel grapes will arrive from Brad Peterson’s place in Lodi. Brad was my former right-hand man who left Saucelito Canyon to return to work on his family’s vineyard in Lodi in December of last year. Now we are his customers. This again proved the truth: you can leave Saucelito Canyon, but it won’t leave you.
Thankfully, our estate vineyards won’t be ready to pick for a few more weeks. The grapes will benefit from the extra hang time, and we will benefit from the respite.
Today, I find myself on the cusp of another momentous occasion—the opening of our new tasting room in November. Don’t worry, we have come a long way since 1984, so you can count on water and electricity when you visit. The wine club has also been growing so the combination of a new tasting room and additional wine club members, we have decided to embark on some new winemaking adventures. In addition to our familiar Zinfandel Estate, Zinfandel Reserve, and Cabernet Sauvignon, we will add small lots of Tempranillo and estate-grown Teroldego. Our lineup will also include our Late Harvest Zinfandel, Dos Ranchos Zinfandel, and Lodi Zinfandel. We will make these wines in the traditional Saucelito style, with lots of fruit and complexity. I am looking forward to sharing them with you.
– Bill
New Releases 2004:
- 2002 Zinfandel Estate $18.00 per bottle
- 2002 Zinfandel Reserve $28.00 per bottle
Upcoming Events 2004:
- Roll Out the Barrels April 30 to May 2
- Wine Club BBQ May 2, noon to 3
- Harvest Celebration November 4 to 7
- Saucelito Canyon Dinner November 5
- Grand Tasting November 6
- Saucelito Canyon Open House November 7
- Tasting Room Grand Opening November 26-28 at 3180 Biddle Ranch Road, San Luis Obispo
Saucelito Sound Bites: Tasting Room on Biddle Drive
“The whirl of saws and the pounding of nails has been music to our ears over the past several months as we get set to open our new tasting room this fall! This cozy structure-located on Biddle Ranch Road in the heart of the Edna Valley-is fashioned to blend with the rural character of our region and will also include a barrel cellar. It is conveniently located on our local wine trail near all of our winery friends.”
2005 Spring Newsletter: New Tasting Room With New Unique Wines
Dear Friends,
A big event for all of us has finally happened. Our tasting room on Biddle Ranch Road is open. We bought the property 20 years ago with the idea of opening a tasting room, but, at the time, we were pouring our wines at the Rincon Adobe at the Talley Vineyards. When the Talleys moved into their new facility. Our arrangement came to an end. It was then that we started at building our own tasting room. The process, working with the county and getting bids, took a bit of time, but finally, in April of 2004, ground was broken. Now the landscaping is finished, and we are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursdays through Mondays. So far, the response has been very favorable. Some of our wines are very hard to find. Now you can just walk in and taste them all.
The tasting room also enables us to be more adventurous on the winemaking front. We can make small lots of unique wine and showcase them ourselves. This brings me to the 2004 wines. We just finished tasting through all of them in the cellar, and the quality is exceptional. In addition to our estate Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon, we have estate Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Teroldego as well as Laetitia Vineyard Tempranillo and Peterson Ranch Lodi Zinfandel. We will be outsourcing other varietals, like the Riesling featured in this newsletter.
While writing this letter, I look out at the vineyard and see the small green shoots catching the sunshine and starting to grow. After a long, cold, wet winter it seems like a miracle. But it happens every year. The new growth will produce grapes, and they will become a vintage. Yes, friends, there will be another vintage.
As always, the winery and vineyard are open to you for tours and tastings by appointment. If you don’t have time, then stop by the Biddle Ranch tasting room and see what is new.
– Bill
New Releases 2005:
- 2003 Zinfandel Estate $18.50 per bottle
- 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon $23.00 per bottle
- 2003 Late Harvest Zinfandel $24.00 per bottle
- 2003 Riesling $14.00 per bottle
Riesling is a new addition to our varietal lineup, beginning with this 2003 vintage from Monterey County’s Santa Lucia Highlands. Crafted in the classic off-dry style, it offers smooth, seamless flavors of apricot, honey, pear, and spice. A full viscous texture finishes with bright, refreshing acidity and a hint of sweetness. This is Nancy’s favorite.
Saucelito Soundbites: Meet The Tasting Room Crew
Our friendly staff is eclectic, hailing from all walks of life and parts of the country. Bob De Vries is a former airline pilot and classic car collector, while Cathy Ambra is a veteran in the Central Coast Wine scene. Erika Spaletta is a Cal Poly grad from Marin County who holds the fort on Sundays, and our event coordinator, Kathy Johnson, also makes cameos behind the tasting bar. And if you see a wetsuit drying on the back of a car in the parking lot, that means tasting room manager Delmore is in the house. Please come see us!
Saucelito Soundbites: Remembering Margaret Ditmas Coyner (1905-2005)
Margaret Ditmas Coyner passed away on February 25, 2005, just shy of her 100th birthday. She was the granddaughter of Rosa and Henry Ditmas, the homesteaders who planted our Zinfandel vineyard in 1880. Margaret was born on the nearby St. Remy Ranch, where her niece still lives. I purchased Rancho Saucelito from Margaret and her sister Barbara in 1974. Margaret was a wonderful person and will be missed.
Upcoming Events 2005:
- San Luis Obispo Wine & Food Festival May 4 to 8
- Downtown Cooking May 4
- Barrels in the Plaza May 5
- Vintner Awards May 6
- Roll Out the Barrels May 7 and 8
- Saucelito Canyon Wine Club Barbecue (5th Annual Event) May 8 at noon
2005: Fall Newsletter
Dear Friends,
As I write, we are on the road to harvest. The cellar is a maze of hoses, bins, and assorted winemaking equipment. The yellow jackets are circling in pursuit of grape juice. Every buck is looking for a doe, and the wild turkeys are moving out.
After 30 years here in the canyon, this is all very familiar to me.
The weather is familiar too–warm, dry, and still. We are having the classic “Indian Summer” here on the Central Coast. It is great for grapes. It kicks them into high gear, ensuring fullness and ripeness of flavor before picking.
The 2005 vintage looks and tastes like a great one. At this moment, we are pressing our estate Merlot. We have also received our Zinfandel grapes from Peterson Family Ranch and Rancho Arroyo Grande. It is just a matter of days before we start picking our estate Zinfandel.
– Bill
Saucelito Soundbites: Notes On The 2005 Harvest
The barrels must have been pretty bored at Saucelito Canyon waiting for the 2005 harvest, our latest ever! There they sat, empty and impatient, unaccustomed to such idleness. A few of them got lucky after our Lodi Zinfandel from Peterson Ranch rolled into the winery on September 8, but the remaining barrels just had to sit tight with the rest of us. In the meantime, the bears, foxes, and turkeys did have some fun stealing a few Zinfandel snacks from the vineyard. A long growing season was expected after a wet winter gave us larger-than-normal yields. Mild autumn weather slowed the pace even more. Harvest in the canyon finally commenced on October 13 after the picking of our Cabernet Sauvignon and ended on November 17 when the last of our estate Zinfandel came off the vine. This harvest was definitely a case of “hurry up and wait.” But the wait was worth it. We picked each vineyard block when it reached peak maturity, then waited for the next one. We never rush the grapes. Quality is rarely convenient.
In the end, I was very pleased with the results. The long growing season brought excellent balance with fully developed flavors, as well as a nice ration of grapes with which to make our 2005 Late Harvest Zinfandel.
So by Thanksgiving, the barrels were happy again, full of fresh wine, still warm and effervescent after fermentation. The barrels now hold four lots of estate Zinfandel and one each of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Tempranillo, Teroldego, and Late Harvest Zinfandel. I look forward to sharing these wines with you.
New Releases 2005:
- 2004 Zinfandel Estate
- Our 2004 Zinfandel Estate begins with bright aromas of strawberries and plum, followed by hints of dust and anise. This wine is a treat match for grilled pork chops, pasta Bolognese, Santa Maria-style Barbecue, and flavorful semi-hard cheeses.
- 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon
- Our 2003 offers lively aromas of Bing Cherry and Boysenberry with accents of truffle and espresso. This wine is a particularly great match for robust fare such as filet mignon, veal chops, cassoulet, and pot roast.
- 2003 Zinfandel Reserve
- We call this wine our “extra strength” Zinfandel. To craft our reserve bottles, Bill personally tastes through each vintage and selects a handful of barrels that show uncommon depth and intensity. These barrels are cellared and blended separately to exemplify the best of the vintage. Our 2003 Zinfandel Reserve begins with a rich black fruit aroma with hints of eucalyptus. This powerful Zinfandel is excellent with grilled pork chops, peppercorn steak, and rich, spicy Lasagna.
- 2004 Late Harvest Zinfandel
Upcoming Events 2005:
- 15th Annual Celebration of Harvest – Saturday, November 5
- Saucelito Canyon Vineyard Annual Open House – Sunday, November 6
2006: Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras
54 members of the wine club attended, along with 150 additional wine lovers, to celebrate Mardi Gras and the wines of Saucelito Canyon Winery. We cohosted with the Ortman family. We served four of our wines, and Dos Ranchos seemed to be the favorite, along with Bon Temps ham Jambalaya with rice. The Ortman family served two wines. Cajun music was playing throughout the evening. The event was very successful. We sold 217 bottles of our wine.
2006: Spring Newsletter
Dear Friends,
After a cold and blustery March, things are starting to warm up, and spring is in the air. At Saucelito Canyon, the change of seasons means a change in work. We get out in the vineyard and begin mowing, disking, and vine training. In other words, we are paving the way to the next harvest.
At the same time, we also guide the previous harvest ever closer toward the bottle. The 2005 vintage yielded exceptional quality, and we are excited about what’s in the barrel. The wines will finish aging and clarifying over the next few months, after which we will work on blending the separate lots to create our various bottlings of Zinfandel, as well as a new Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot from one estate.
– Bill
Current And New Releases 2006:
- 2004 Zinfandel Estate, Arroyo Grande Valley $20 per bottle
- 2004 Zinfandel Dos Ranchos, Arroyo Grande Valley $30 per bottle
- Our Zinfandel Dos Ranchos reunites grapes from Saucelito Canyon and nearby Rancho Arroyo Grande–a pairing whose roots extend back to the 1880s, when Rosa Ditmas, the original homesteader of Saucelito Canyon, married A.B Hasbrouck, owner of Rancho Arroyo Grande. Together, they produced wines from these “Dos Ranchos” until 1915.
- 2004 Zinfandel Lodi – Peterson Family Ranch $24 per bottle
- 2004 Tempranillo Estate, Arroyo Grande Valley $24 per bottle
- 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate, Arroyo Grande Valley
2006: Fall Newsletter
Dear Friends,
Fall is upon us again. The days are shorter, shadows longer, and some of the cottonwood trees are turning yellow. The Zinfandel grapes are fully purple and will be harvested soon. We just picked our Merlot and Malbec. In the process, we outfoxed the foxes who were trying to eat the Merlot.
Harvest has become a reliable ritual in the 32 years since I restored the old vines in the canyon. I have been a winemaker for 22 years. It has been my life’s work. Fortunately, I have been able to make some very good wines along the way.
Amy Freeman & Bill Greenough
However, as time passes, things must change and grow. Our daughter Margaret has just started medical school at UCLA, and our son Tom graduated from St. Mary’s College in May with a degree in history. He will work his first harvest this year.
This year, however, we have added a new twist to the proceedings by hiring Amy Freeman as our new winemaker and vineyard manager, a position she inherits from me.
In another new twist, because our son Tom is working his first harvest this year, he has a great mentor in Amy. They work very well together. I will still be actively involved in the vineyard and in the cellar, but I’m looking forward to expanding my own horizons and allowing Amy to take our wine to the next level. I will be more free to become involved in our local wine industry and to help Nancy manage our tasting room.
– Bill
New Releases 2006: Introducing New Zins
- 2005 Zinfandel Estate, $23 per bottle
- 2004 Zinfandel Reserve, $36 per bottle
- 2005 Zinfandel Late Harvest, $20 per 375 ml bottle
Saucelito Soundbites: A New Winemaker, Amy Freeman
This past summer, we decided the time was right to bring in someone who can preserve the identity of our wines while adding fresh ideas, energy, and talent to our winemaking operations. Prior to joining Saucelito Canyon, Amy was the assistant winemaker at Byron Vineyard & Winery for two years. She is truly dedicated to the idea of a small estate winery. She gets what we are about. She brings new energy and spirit to Saucelito Canyon.
Saucelito Soundbites: Wine Club Update
We value our Saucelito Canyon Wine Club members and want to make sure that you don’t miss out on any of our special releases, all of which are produced in very small quantities. Toward that end, we plan to expand our club shipment frequency from two shipments annually to three shipments annually. Next year, we will send shipments in February, June, and October.
In addition to our continued focus on Zanfandel, including a new bottling from Paso Robles beginning with the 2006 vintage, you can expect exciting new wines in the coming year. They include an estate Bordeaux-style blend, an estate Merlot, and a Tempranillo from Laetitia Vineyard, all from the 2005 vintage.
Upcoming Events 2006:
- May 5-7, San Luis Obispo Wine Wine & Food Festival
- May 6, Saucelito Canyon Tasting Room Open House
- May 7, 6th annual Saucelito Wine Club BBQ and tastings at the Vineyard
- November 4, 16th Annual Harvest Celebration Grand Tasting
- November 5, Saucelito Canyon Harvest Celebration at Saucelito Tasting Room
2007: Fall Newsletter
Dear Friends,
Today is September 7, and harvest is just around the corner-but we have a little business to take care of first. In fact, as I write, we are bottling all of our 2006 wines, inclusive of lots totaling 2,800 cases.
Bottling is probably the least romantic part of winemaking. It involves months of planning for a two-day event. All of the supplies must arrive before the bottling date, or we can’t place wine in the bottle. And since everyone is bottling at this time in order to make room for the 2007 harvest, the chances of getting the bottling truck back soon are slim to none. Bottling also signifies the last chance a winemaker has to let his or her intuition guide the wine to its best. As bottling approaches, decisions have to be made about blending, fining, and filtration. I know I have made decisions on how to treat a wine based totally on what I know best, but for reasons I can’t explain to anyone. It is a gift I have had all my adult life.
I believe our winemaker, Amy Freeman, has the same gift. After all the science is done, there comes a time when she decides this is the way to go, and she just knows it. I believe that when she walked boldly into Saucelito Canyon and saw the place, the vines, and the wines, she knew it was her place, her work, and her passion.
With the 2006 vintage now going into the bottle, it’s time for us to let go. Our work for that vintage is done. These wines are now yours to enjoy as we now turn our attention to the upcoming 2007 harvest.
– Bill
2007: Winter Newsletter
Dear Friends
We are excited to unveil three new releases in this shipment: the inaugural bottling of our Hi Mountain red blend, a locally grown Tempranillo, and our latest Zinfandel from Peterson Family Ranch in Lodi.
The 2005 Hi Mountain is a unique “Bordeaux meets Rhône” blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Grenache, and Mourvèdre from our estate and neighboring Rancho Arroyo Grande. We enjoy a history and synergy that dates back more than 120 years. This young exuberant wine that pleasantly surprises the senses with rustic yet charming flavors that appeal to many tastes. In other words, it’s a good bottle to keep at your end of the table.
The name Hi Mountain pays tribute to a nearby peak that is highly visible from our vineyard. Hi Mountain is part of the rugged coastal mountain range that runs from west to east, dividing the coastal Arroyo Grande Valley from the upper Paso Robles watershed. This rare “transverse” range gives us the benefit of both the cool prevailing coastal winds and shelters us from the heat of the interior valleys.
The 2005 Tempranillo comes from Laetitia Vineyard at the opposite edge of the Arroyo Grande Valley, a few miles from the shoreline. This cooler growing environment is perfect for Tempranillo, a varietal that adds a delicious Spanish twist to our lineup. We are really impressed with the enthusiasm and knowledge of the vineyard manager at Laetitia Vineyard. His name is Lino Bozzano. Lino is very excited about his block of Tempranillo, and he picked out a couple of south-facing rows for us, where yields are limited to a single cluster per shoot. This is our second bottling of Tempranillo, following the 2004 vintage that earned a gold medal at the Orange County Fair. We still have some judges asking about the next vintage, and luckily, some are in our wine club, so here it is.
The 2005 Zinfandel comes from the Peterson Family Ranch in Lodi. You may remember that Brad Peterson was our right-hand man in the vineyard and the cellar for several years before returning to work at his family’s ranch, which includes a 40-year-old Zinfandel vineyard. We let him leave on one condition – that he sends us grapes! We are lucky to get them. Most of Peterson Family Ranch’s Zinfandel goes to a very well-known winery in Napa Valley. This wine exhibits classic Lodi character, with fresh berry flavors and a round, soft, spicy finish. It is ready to drink now and, like the Tempranillo, will not be around long due to very limited quantities.
While estate-grown Zinfandels remain our focus, we enjoy having these other creative outlets to share with you. You are the first to taste these wines, and we look forward to your feedback.
– Bill
Current And New Releases Winter 2007:
- 2005 Zinfandel Reserve – Arroyo Grande Valley
- 2006 Zinfandel Peterson Family Ranch – Lodi
- 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate – Arroyo Grande Valley
Upcoming Events 2007:
- 7th Annual Wine Club BBQ – Sunday, May 6, 2007
- 17th Annual Harvest Celebration – November 2 – 4, 2007
- Saucelito Open House at the Vineyard – Sunday, November 4, 2007
Saucelito Soundbites: Introducing Tasting Room Manager Katherine Taylor
Harvest Greetings! My name is Katherine Taylor, and I am excited to announce that I have joined the Saucelito Canyon family as the new tasting room manager. In addition to managing the tasting room, I will be introducing fresh new ideas to the Saucelito Canyon Wine Club. This will include seasonal small gatherings and year-round festivities aimed to showcase the wines we enjoy making – and more important that we make to enjoy. I look forward to meeting all of you very soon.
2207: Summer Newsletter
Dear Friends,
Early summer has arrived, and the days are getting longer as we begin our march toward harvest. This is the first full year in the vineyard for Winemaker Amy Freeman and our son, Tom, who is now the assistant winemaker. I have total faith in Amy and Tom, and I look forward to working with them as the year progresses.
I enjoyed seeing many of you at Roll Out the Barrels and our Wine Club BBQ in May. Those who tasted our 2006 wines at these events know how great they are, even as barrel samples. You should look forward to these wines expressing true Saucelito Canyon character. I think you will be pleased with how the old ways will carry forward and blend with the new things we are doing.
On that note, we will be making more exclusive limited-production bottlings that will add depth to our line of wines. The popular Lodi Zinfandel will continue with fruit from Brad Peterson’s vineyard, and again, we are lucky to get Rancho Arroyo Grande’s dry-framed Zinfandel from Potrero for our Dos Ranchos bottling.
I am grateful to be able to step back a bit and look at what has happened over the last 33 years. The beauty of Saucelito Canyon has not changed since a 30-year-old dreamer walked through the gate and wondered where to start. The wines continue to win awards, dating back to the gold medal given to the first Zinfandel I made at Saucelito. Some things may stay the same, but change is constant and always for the good at Saucelito.
I hope you will join Nancy and me, our daughter Margaret (currently in UCLA Medical School), and son Tom as we work and watch Saucelito attain new levels of evidence.
– Bill
Current And New Releases Summer 2007:
- 2005 Merlot – Arroyo Grande Valley
- 2005 Zinfandel Dos Ranchos – Arroyo Grande Valley
2008: Our Wines Truly Offer A Taste Of Place
Newsletter – Winter 2008
Dear Friends,
January not only brings a new year but also the beginning of our rainy season. I am happy to report we are off to a wet start.
We are lucky to have a California Department of Forestry satellite weather station near our vineyard, so we can get precise weather information over the internet (see http://cdec.water.ca.gov query station ID ARG). As of this writing, the station shows a total of 12.96 inches by the last week of January–which is more than we had all last year.
I have spent my life in the California coastal chaparral system, so I am familiar with the drought, fire, and flood cycle that affects everything that lives and grows in our area. Plants and animals tolerate long periods of low rainfall very well. Fire cleanses the brush of dead wood and opens the chaparral for regrowth. Floods bring new soil from the hills and fill the valleys, creating flat planes of rich new soil where new feed grows.
Not surprisingly, imported plants and animals do not always do so well in the unpredictable and often extreme weather of the chaparral ecosystem, but grapevines are the notable exception. These European transplants are quite drought-resistant, and their deep roots resist erosion. They can even be burnt to the ground and still survive and thrive.
Therefore, I view our 130-year-old Zinfandel wines as a natural part of the chaparral. They like the deep sandy loam soil and warm, dry summers, things they never had in Europe. At our expense, they even provide fruit for local birds, foxes, raccoons, and bears. After more than a century in the Arroyo Grande, our vines have become native.
Our wines are an extension of this harmony with the environment. They are made next to the vineyard with somewhat primitive equipment, requiring long hours of hard handiwork. Each bin of fruit reflects a symmetry of climate, soil, and plant community.
The resulting wines are a reflection of the tough, complex, fascinating chaparral. They truly offer a taste of this place.
– Bill
Releases 2008: Three New Releases From The 2006 Vintage
There are three new releases, including our hallmark Saucelito Canyon Zinfandel and our second bottling of the Hi Mountain blend.
- 2006 Zinfandel Saucelito Canyon-Arroyo Grande Valley – this is your chance to savor the oldest, most established Zinfandel vines in the Arroyo Grande Valley. It pairs well with spicy pork with cinnamon; peppered tuna with avocado and sesame seeds; couscous with toasted pine nuts, dried currants and dried cherries. Only 1058 cases were produced.
- 2006 Hi Mountain – Arroyo Grande Valley – this wine is made up of both Bordeaux and Rhone Red varietals from Saucelito Canyon’s estate vineyard and neighboring Rancho Arroyo Grande. It is comprised of Cabernet Franc (10%), Merlot (20%) and Mourvedre (70%). It pairs well with roasted beef tenderloin with mustard curry, tuna tataki, and garlicky smashed potatoes with horseradish. Only 274 cases were produced.
2008: Newsletter December
Dear Friends,
The first release of 1880 wine brings me back to the day, 34 years ago, when I stood in the middle of my new vineyard that showed a slight promise of life. I wondered, “Now what?” And without much thought to the future decided “now what” was to get the old vines producing again.
By the time we started our winery, the new additional vines I had planted next to the old vineyard were now bearing fruit. So new and old went into the same vat to make one Zin. I had noticed a difference between the new and old vines themselves. The old vines were relaxed, less frantic than the new. The old vines were older, more mature, experienced, and wise. As production from old and new increased, I started making separate lots of wine from different blocks of vines. The wine made from the 1880 vines was more subdued in flavor, not brash and bold like the younger vines. This elegance was apparent every year; the 1880s were made on their own. My firm belief in keeping things simple results in a blend with all lots of Zinfandel. This blend has always been consistent in its elegance. However, I wanted to make a separate 1880 Zinfandel, but never did.
When Amy Freeman started as winemaker she immediately noticed the superior quality of the 1880 vines. She said we had to take some of the 1880 wine and bottle it on its own. That was an easy decision. We spent a lot of time selecting the bottle, the different label, and telling the story of how this 1880 wine came to be. After a longer bottle age than our Estate Zins have ever been privy to, the 1880 is ready to release. Now you can taste what it was that brought me to Saucelito 34 years ago. The wine has taken a long time to evolve, but it is worth the wait.
– Bill
2008 Featured Wines:
- 2008 Marsanne – this is the inaugural bottling of Marsanne, the newest white offering from Saucelito Canyon Vineyard. Marsanne is a primary blending component in France’s Rhone Valley, but it remains rare in California, where only 500 tons are harvested throughout the state. $17 per bottle
- 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate – this is the last holdout from our 2006 vintage. Cabernet ripens well here in the far eastern side of the Upper Arroyo Grande Valley. $30 per bottle
- 2007 Zinfandel Peterson Family Ranch – Peterson Family Ranch is our farthest away vineyard source, and we are honored to get our hands on its grapes because most of its fruit goes to a well-known Northern California producer. The high grape quality, as well as the historical significance of Zinfandel in the Lodi and Sierra Foothill Regions, matches well with our focus at Saucelito Canyon Vineyard. $26 per bottle
- 2006 Zinfandel Estate Reserve – Every so often, when I take my first whiff of a wine, it causes a smile to cross my face, and there I am, grinning from ear to ear with my nose inside a wine glass. I am always pleasantly surprised by this involuntary reaction, and the wine reaches a special status for me. Our 2006 Zinfandel Reserve did just this, and I am very excited to share it with you. $38 per bottle.
- 2007 Zinfandel Backroads – As the newest Zinfandel in the Saucelito Canon Vineyard lineup, our 2007 Zinfandel Backroads is an exciting foray into remote vineyards in San Luis Obispo County, which have much the same feel as our own estate vineyard. For this vintage, we have sourced fruit from the other side of the Santa Lucia Mountains range in the very southern side of the Paso Robles growing region. The resulting wine is a garnet-hued gem with ripe red plum, blackberry, cassis, and vanilla oak notes on the nose. $18. Per bottle.
– Bill
2009: The 35th Anniversary
Tales From the Rancho From Bill – A Move To Old St. Remy
I moved to the old St. Remy Rancho on July 4, 1974, thirty-five years ago.
I had completely broken from coat and tie cocktails, hippies, art study, and adobe houses of my Santa Barbara life. Here I was, six miles from a paved road in a 100-year-old ranch house without electricity, starting a new life I knew little about. But like a bear after honey, I started clearing the brush and the grass from around the old Saucelito vines. By Spring 1975, I had a vineyard, vines in cultivated soil laid out in an eight-by-eight grid.
But to my eye, untrained to vineyards, it looks lifeless, no green, no growing. I walked through looking for signs of life, anything, but found nothing green. But in mid-April, bottle green leaves suddenly appeared, then little clusters, and by May, the whole three acres was green. It worked; the vines were alive. I had a vineyard that I could call my own. And now, every year for 35 years, this incredible transformation takes place; from cold and dead to warm and green, I still marvel at the change. If you haven’t visited yet, a good time to see the vineyard and enjoy history will be at our 35th Anniversary Party on July 5th. I will be there to show you around and tell you some of my early stories and about the people who have worked with me over the years. Come out and enjoy the fun.
Tales From The Rancho From Bill – Saving The 1880 Block of Vines
After I decided to save and restore the 1880 block of vines, the next step was to bring the living vines back to producing grapes again. Escrow closed in May 1974. The first thing I did was to close the farm gates to keep the cows from grazing in the vineyard. The vines had all summer to grow and looked very much alive.
I decided to rent a small house. It had taken a lot of time to move everything I had from Santa Barbara to Saucelito Canyon Vineyard property and to the rented house at St. Remy. The St. Remy Ranch had been the site of a beautiful home, tea house, vineyard, winery, and gardens owned and developed by entrepreneur A. B. Hasbrouck in the early 1880s. He later married Rosa Ditmas, the second owner of the Saucelito Canyon Vineyard. A.B. ran cattle, developed a prosperous dairy business, raised grapes and vegetables, and made award-winning wines in his own St. Remy Winery from around 1880 to 1915. The house burned to the ground at the end of his lifetime, but there were a number of small homes built for ranch workers, which were later rented to various tenants. The area in the Upper Arroyo Grande Valley was remote, and it took me about twenty minutes to travel between my vineyard and my new home at St. Remy.
I worked on my St. Remy home first and then built stalls for the horses in the barn. I spent most of my time exploring my new property in Saucelito Canyon and acquiring some new farm equipment. So it was late September when I started thinking about what to do with the old vines. It was easy to see what part of the vine had vigor and which strong shoot to start the regrowth of the top part of the vine. The best thing for me to do was dig a hole about 11/2 inches deep and three feet in diameter around each vine to access the underside of the vine. That way, I could cut off all the shoots I did not want. Ten or more holes later, I calculated that I had about 1110 to go. It was a good thing that I had all winter.
In the spring of 1975, the newly pruned vines put forth strong shoots that I was able to train up a stake, 1120 stakes to be exact. The vineyard had begun life again. In a year, I had a young vineyard, in two years a big vineyard, and two years later, in 1978, I made the first Saucelito Zin in 40 years. Every Zin, after the first wine has won or placed in competitions around the country, has a remarkable 30-year streak. The 1880 Zin comes from just those 1120 holes that I dug and vines that were happy to get back to work again. Why did I do it? The reason is in your bottle of 1880 wine.
2009: Newsletter Winter
Dear Friends,
As I write this letter from our house at the vineyard, I can see my son, Tom, spreading the last of 24 tons of organic compost in the vineyard. Twenty-four tons is a lot of compost, and the two truckers delivered it a day late. The rain is just starting late this afternoon, but Tom will finish applying the compost in time to beat the rain. A big part of farming is timing. Timing with someone as unpredictable as Mother Nature is a challenge, but good farmers win most of the time.
Another win for us, really a win-win, is that our estate vineyard is now certified sustainable under the Sustainability in Practice (SIP) standards, one of only 14 vineyards in California. This means we treat our fields with respect. We naturally put back into the soil what we take out. We treat our vineyards like the family home–maintain it, repair it, put on a good roof so that the home will last for the next generation.
To keep the vineyard in balance with what we take out (grapes), we put back in the building blocks of the grapes: compost to enrich the soil and cover crops to add organic material, combat erosion, and help beneficial insects. In the spring, our sheep come and graze the cover crop and leave behind nitrogen in pellet form. In the summer, the sun supplies energy to combine the soil elements, which become grapes. We turn grapes into wine. Then the circle starts over again. And just like a house, we could put more people in it, but run the risk of wearing it down from overuse. We could get more grapes, but that would harm the most basic and important part of Saucelito Canyon–the vineyard.
So what does all this mean? As long as Saucelito Canyon Vineyard is sustainably farmed, it will continue to be balanced with its surroundings and produce small quantities of excellent fruit, which turns into excellent wines for you to enjoy. A win-win. Enjoy!
– Bill
2009: Coming Full Circle – Tom Greenough Takes The Helm
Change, it seems, is the only true constant, and an exciting change is now underway at Saucelito Canyon as our son has taken the helm.
Tom succeeds Amy Freeman, who left to join her winemaker brother and help with his winery’s crush in Sonoma County. Amy will also be tending to her family’s vineyard in Santa Barbara County. We wish her the best. With harvest close and bottling even closer, we needed a winemaker. No, I was not a candidate – I did it for 25 years and that was plenty. As before, the position required someone who is dedicated, innovative, and quick thinking, and who has a respect for the history and soul of the place. Nancy and I decided we already knew someone who fit the bill: Tom.
Tom has been managing the vineyard for the past two years and working with Amy in the cellar for three years. Plus, he couldn’t really say no, and his salary comes at a family discount. I am proud of him. He has stepped up and taken total ownership of the winery. He had his first crush today, picking and destemming the Cabernet Sauvignon. He is a little nervous, and he should be. But he is also pumped up. That is how I got started, I just dove in. I will help guide him, but I am sure that soon enough, he will be telling me to get out of his way. We will be bottling reds next week, and the Zinfandel harvest will begin shortly thereafter. Wine will be made, and Saucelito Canyon will steam on. We are moving forward and coming full circle as a family too.
– Bill
2009 Fall Featured Wines:
- 2008 Cote De Blanc – Paso Robles – 392 cases produced
- 2008 Zinfandel Backroads – San Luis Obispo – 916 cases produced
- 2008 Zinfandel Peterson Family Ranch, Lodi – Only 196 cases produced
- 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate – 120 cases produced
- 2007 Zinfandel Estate Reserve – Cellar Selection – 199 cases produced
Conclusion
San Luis Obispo has a unique tradition of multi-generational farming throughout the County. Bill and Nancy Greenough honored this tradition by stepping aside for their children, Tom Greenough and Margaret Greenough, to run the winery. Nancy and Bill were married in 1980, six years after Bill purchased Saucelito Canyon Vineyard. Nancy and other members of the old Mountain Drive gang drove up on weekends to help plant vines during the day and to share Hearty Burgundy by night. Nancy had led the winery’s sales and marketing efforts, establishing Saucelito Canyon as one of California’s stalwart small wineries.
In 2009, Tom took on the responsibility of winemaker and overseeing the vineyard without fanfare. He did tell his father that he has his own ideas about winemaking and has purchased new equipment and retired the vintage pieces that Bill cherished. Tom has added a variety of new wines.
Margaret Greenough grew up in the house on the vineyard. Those early years deepened the love she has for the canyon and the outdoors. She is now a practicing physician in internal medicine in San Luis Obispo. She is also in charge of Production and Marketing of the Saucelito Wines.
The Tasting Room and gardens are located at 3080 Biddle Ranch Road in the Edna Valley, adjacent to Bill and Nancy’s home.
