The stormy winter weather has had us retreating to our favorite cozy spots and given us a lot to be thankful for. This is a welcome respite after three consecutive years of drought that have made farming in the Santa Cruz Mountains more challenging, especially the two old-vine Chardonnay sites we dry farm with no irrigation. The cooler temperatures are resulting in late bud break in the vineyards but the ample ground water should give our vines the boost they need for a productive harvest. We are off to a good start and have great hopes for the 2023 vintage.

We spent much of stormy February and March in the cellar preparing the next round of wines for Spring Release. In a few weeks we will be releasing four wines to wine club members first, the ’21 Mindego Ridge Pinot Noir along with the ’21 Mountain Winery Chardonnay, ’21 Le Boeuf Vineyard Chardonnay, and ’22 Bates Ranch Grenache Rosé. We also have a beautiful new wine – more on this below – the ’22 Triolo Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, hailing from the Santa Clara Valley just south of the Santa Cruz Mountains, which we are releasing in collaboration with fabulous local artist and cookbook author Erin Gleeson of the Forest Feast.

We have several new wine programs in barrel from the 2022 vintage that show great promise, including a stunningly aromatic Nebbiolo from the panoramic Lago Lomita vineyard off Summit Road in Los Gatos, a delicious Petite Verdot from Bates Ranch near Mount Madonna, and two new Pinot Noirs.

With the better weather warming up the cellar a bit, we’d love to have you come visit us at the winery in San Francisco for a tasting so you can go through some of these new barrels with us. Reach out to us to arrange a tasting at wines@sandarandhem.com. Our wine club members can do a complimentary tasting with a guest.

You can now enjoy our limited production Sauvignon Blanc, with the label designed and painted by Erin Gleeson. These Sauvignon Blanc grapes are from the historic Santa Clara Valley AVA. They are whole cluster pressed to yield a charming wine with aromas of guava and passion fruit, with a crisp and citrusy finish. This is the ultimate porch sipper, picnic, and gifting wine – a true crowd pleaser.

Erin Gleeson is the creator of The Forest Feast – New York Times bestselling cookbooks which artfully share simple recipes that celebrate local, seasonal produce.  We came together to celebrate and inspire unique stories that build community around the table.  This is what we mean by the confluence of people and place.

You can enjoy this with some of our other summer favorites like our Bates Ranch Grenache Rosé and Mountain Winery Chardonnay.