2023
2023 Desire Lines Sky Vineyards Rosé of Grenache
Our 2023 Sky Vineyards Grenache Rosé was picked on September 6 from a small block of young vines that’s now known by the Olds family as “Caleb’s Block” (be still my heart…). The grapes were pressed, with a bit of a foot-tread, in Morgan's original 1/3-ton hand cranked basket press. After cold-settling and racking, the juice was fermented in stainless steel drums and left on lees until bottling in January.
It likely goes without saying that we are beyond thrilled with this treasure of a wine. The wine is explosively aromatic, redolent of strawberries, white peaches, orange peel, and jasmine. The palate reveals the wisdom of Caleb’s choice of Sky Vineyards, as the wine carries the vineyard’s trademark acidity with vibrant, refreshing class, cutting through the notable concentration and fruit intensity.
92 points - Antonio Galloni, Vinous
“The 2023 Grenache Rosé Sky Vineyards is superb. Effusive and intensely aromatic, the 2023 conveys the essence of variety and site with notable class. Crushed rocks, flowers, cranberry, salt, orange peel and white pepper lend an exotic flair. Readers will find a Rosé with real depth, complexity and structure to match.” -AG
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2023 Desire Lines Cole Ranch Riesling
We have the audacious ambition to make the benchmark California Riesling, and this particular rendition of 1973-planted Cole Ranch is our best and clearest statement to that effect. In 2023, all the dials are turned up – more acidic, more intense, more precise, more aromatic. The titratable acidity is almost a gram higher than usual for this wine, and the alcohol is almost a point lower, which wonderfully balances the 5.6 g/L of residual sugar and richness from a ten-month élevage in 1000-liter Stockinger ovals. This is an energetic, dazzling wine with classic Cole Ranch white peach, tropical notes, and orange confit accented by jasmine, honey, and ginger. The palate shows terrific fruit weight and a satin-y density that’s offset by striking acidity— we love drinking this wine over the course of three or four days in its youth to watch it evolve.
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2023 Desire Lines Massa Vineyard Riesling
After the excitement of making a kabinett-style Riesling in 2022, we opted to return to a drier GG-style last year, particularly given the gorgeous cool weather in Carmel. The 2023 is decidedly autumnal: yellow orchard fruits and orange citrus, green herbs, and the spicy warmth of fallen leaves. We direct-pressed most of the wine per usual but reserved a portion of the grapes for an overnight skin soak and fermented that wine separately before blending back prior to bottling. The skin soak portion brings additional aromatic intensity to the wine, and a greater phenolic density to the palate that adds a lovely form and structure to embrace the wine’s Central Coast sunshine and 7.8 g/L of residual sugar. As with the Cole Ranch, this has a higher-than-usual TA and a lower-than-usual ethanol.
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2023 Desire Lines Kick Ranch Sauvignon Blanc
Antonio Galloni has described our Sauvignon Blancs from Kick Ranch as “bright and effusive; a serious wine for the dinner table; beautifully delineated with notable textural richness.” I love that he highlights the textural elements of this wine that we love so much, which indicate just how seriously we regard great Sauvignon Blanc. In 2023, we destemmed a small portion of the grapes and soaked them on skins overnight, before pressing the following morning. The inclusion of this little bit in the blend, with the usual direct press wine, has pushed the citrus and tropical fruit aromatics forward and added a density and richness to the palate that really suits the racy 2023 vintage character. We’re cautious to use even short macerations on white wines because the potassium leached out can buffer the pH upwards, softening the wine, but Kick Ranch is naturally a high acid site and in 2023 we had acid in spades. After spending ten months on fine lees in barrel, including one new barrel from the illustrious Fassbinderei Stockinger in Austria, the wine is exquisitely balanced and mouth-wateringly juicy.
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2023 Desire Lines Evangelho Red Wine
Own-rooted, 1890s-planted vines in over thirty feet of pure sand: this is Evangelho. These sandy soils imbue the wines with distinctively suave and fine-grained tannins, and the vineyard’s location in the San Joaquin River Delta balances warm summer sun with an onrush of coastal winds that begin a little before lunchtime each day. In 2023, the extended growing season at Evangelho Vineyard allowed for additional hang-time on the vine, which brings an entirely new dimension of richness and intensity to the wine. The wine is still fresh and focused, with cherry liqueur and blood orange soaring from the glass accented by rose petal, mint, and cedar, but with extra fruit weight on the palate. It’s a bit like someone tipped in an extra bit of demi-glace while making a pan sauce. This is without a doubt our best wine from Evangelho Vineyard yet – an iconic wine from an iconic vineyard.
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2022
2022 Desire Lines Cole Ranch Riesling
Like the 2021, our 2022 rendition of Cole Ranch crackles with energy – a tightrope balance of bracing freshness and unctuous fruit. Orange confit, white peach, and tropical fruits leap from the glass, accented by ginger, jasmine, and honey. The palate is decidedly flamboyant, with terrific fruit density just barely held in check by vivid acidity and subtle saline notes. Give this lots of air, or do as we do and drink over three or four days (simply re-cork and pop back in the fridge). 3.5 g/L RS.Sign Up to receive future Offerings
2022 Desire Lines Massa Vineyard Kabi Riesling
This is a wine we’re thrilled about, and what we believe is the first Kabinett-style Riesling ever bottled in California. Our Massa Vineyard Kabi Riesling is precocious, bright, and lush. Lemon, green apple, and orange citrus are suffused with green herbal and floral essences. The palate is delicate and sorbet-like, with a lusciously lingering and stone-laced finished. We chose to stop this fermentation with cross-flow filtration rather than a strong dose of sulfur (typically 200 ppm), so I find this to be more expressively fruity and less reductive/savory than the typical Mosel Riesling.Sign Up to receive future Offerings
2022 Desire Lines Kick Ranch Sauvignon Blanc
Our 2022 Kick Ranch Sauvignon Blanc is an arresting wine – the nose features high-toned citrus and tropical fruits overlaid with a touch of reduction and subtle new wood. On the palate, green apple and vibrant mandarin orange harmonize with hints of guava and passionfruit. A delicate herbal undertone adds depth and complexity, while a bit of sappy oak sweetness lends a balancing hand to the electric and zest acidity. As CellarTracker reviews on our 2021 Kick Ranch Sauvignon Blanc have noted, there is superb intensity to the mineral-driven and dense flavors, with a chiseled frame and palate-staining finish. This is a knock-your-socks-off Sauvignon Blanc.
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2022 Desire Lines Evangelho Red Wine
Evangelho Vineyard is one of California’s greatest vineyard sites, home to own-rooted vines planted in the 1890s in almost pure sand and subjected to a near-constant breeze. The vineyard has been farmed thoughtfully and progressively for well over a century, and it shows – the vines are remarkably healthy, resilient, and wise. Our 2022 Evangelho Vineyard Red Wine flaunts an effusive personality, with sweet black cherry and blood orange soaring from the glass, buoyed by herbal nuances of sage, rose petal, mint, and cedar. The palate is plush and vibrant, with typically fine-grained tannin framing a gorgeous finish. This will age gracefully as always, but is remarkably open and candid at the moment on pop and pour.
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2022 Desire Lines Massa Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Our 2022 Massa Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon comes from Block 13, which is one of just a few remaining blocks of the original own-rooted 1971 planting with Mirassou budwood. Fermentation was by native yeasts after destemming and crushing, and maceration lasted for almost four weeks in tank before draining and pressing. The wine was raised in three 225-liter barrels for fifteen months with one racking, including 33% new oak from a medium-plus toast Taransaud barrel.
The nose soars from the glass in the way that only cool-climate mountain Cabernet can: cherry, raspberry, pomegranate, pink peppercorn, rose petals, and cedar all sing in fresh, nuanced harmony. On the palate, terrific fruit concentration at modest scale with supple fine-grained tannins and a sappy finish point to the benefits of own-rooted vines, where possible. This wine is a true gem from one of the rare historic Cabernet vineyards left in California.
92 points - Antonio Galloni, Vinous
“The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Massa Vineyard is an exotic, beautiful wine. Strong savory and floral overtones suggest some stem inclusion. There’s plenty of fruit, though, which is nicely pushed forward in this vintage. Succulent dark cherry, plum, pomegranate, cedar and sweet pipe tobacco lead into the racy, persistent finish.” -AG
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2022 Desire Lines Lichau Hill Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Our 2022 Lichau Hill Cabernet Sauvignon proves one of my favorite wine rules – look to cool sites in warm years. 2022 was a warm and dry year, which brings a degree of richness and generosity to an otherwise classically built wine. The vines at Lichau Hill are relatively old for Cabernet, having been planted in 1999, and must be deeply rooted for how little irrigation they require. They weathered the heat dome of 2022 without any trouble, which came well before the fruit was in the ripening window. Raspberry, rose petal, and cedar leap from the glass, while spice, tobacco, and cassis lend an exotic flair to this opulent, concentrated, and fresh Cabernet. I don’t think you’ll find more intensity under 14% alcohol than here (labeled 14%; 13.85% in reality). This wine makes the case that Lichau Hill Vineyard should be regarded as an iconic (and unmistakably distinctive) California Cabernet site.
As John Gilman said of our 2021 Lichau Hill Cabernet Sauvignon, “All of Cody Rasmussen’s wines which I have tasted for this issue of the newsletter are outstanding, but perhaps finding another completely old school example of Cabernet Sauvignon is the most exciting wine in his lineup, as they are all too few of them still made in California!”
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2021
2021 Desire Lines Cole Ranch Riesling
The 2021 rendition of Cole Ranch practically crackles with energy – the tension and freshness of the wine recalls our 2018, which was similarly bracing. Candied lemon, white peach, and gorgeous floral top-notes leap from the glass. 3.5 g/L RS and 7.1 g/L TA."The 2021 Riesling Cole Ranch offers a beguiling mix of varietal notes and also a good bit of textural weight that I don't recall seeing in this wine previously. Dried pear, spice, chamomile, mint and white flowers emerge with some reluctance, as there is so much fruit density. I would give this a year or two in bottle." - By Antonio Galloni on April 2023 (92 points)
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2021 Desire Lines Massa Vineyard Riesling
In some mysterious way, I think the remarkable setting and unusual soil type stamp our Massa Vineyard Riesling with a personality distinct from our Mendocino County Rieslings (Cole Ranch and Wiley Vineyard). I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there’s something singular to the austere phenolic mouthfeel, opulent orange citrus fruit profile, and herbal nuances that speak of California’s sunny Central Coast. The wine was fermented in a 1000-liter Stockinger oval and left on lees until bottling in July. The wine shows just a touch of matchstick reduction on the nose, which I adore, and it reminds me a little of the Rieslings from Hofgut Falkenstein. 4.5 g/L RS and 7.1 g/L TA. "The No. 10 Old Durney, Riesling from the Massa Vineyard in Carmel Valley, is gorgeous. Lemon confit, marzipan, chamomile, white flowers and a touch of tropical fruit give the 2021 an exotic profile that is both distinctive and appealing. There's a good bit of textural oiliness that adds character. Bright acids perk up the effortless finish." - By Antonio Galloni on April 2023 (93 points)SOLD OUT - Sign Up to receive future Offerings
2021 Desire Lines Kick Ranch Sauvignon Blanc
The grapes for our 2021 Kick Ranch Sauvignon Blanc were crushed by foot in the picking bins before being quickly loaded into the press for pressing. The juice was fermented in a combination of 228L and 300L barrels with a bit of new oak (22%) from the illustrious Stockinger cooperage in Austria, for a touch of floral, sappy oak sweetness. The wine was left on lees for ten months in barrel before bottling in July. Much like our Rieslings, the Sauvignon Blanc from Kick Ranch satisfies my desire for a cool-climate white wine imbued with a stern, zesty architecture into which we can knit lush fruit flavors and saline flourishes.
"The 2021 Sauvignon Blanc Kick Ranch is bright and effusive. Lemon peel, white flowers, mint, tangerine oil, sage and tomato leaf are all finely delineated. Here, too, I am quite struck by the wine's weight and phenolic intensity. This is a serious wine for the dinner table."
- By Antonio Galloni on April 2023 (93 points)
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2021 Desire Lines Evangelho Red Wine
2021 was characterized by extraordinarily light crops at Evangelho Vineyard, as a result of the extreme drought. The vines persevered, and I think you can feel some of the intensity and richness in the wine that may have something to do with the tragically light crop yield.
As in previous vintages, the wine was fermented with 30% whole cluster under a submerged cap and aged for ten months in neutral 400L barrels. The Carignan from Evangelho gives a juicy wine that smells of flowers and red fruits, with a soft tannin profile and vibrant acidity. The inclusion of cluster adds spice to the nose, while the small portion of carbonic maceration and Mourvèdre add flesh to the palate. The winemaking style is inspired by our love for the great cru Beaujolais of France (and in our book, that’s Clos de la Roilette’s Cuvée Tardive and the old-vine single parcels of Château Thivin): wines that are a joy to drink while young and age gracefully as well.
"The 2021 Red Wine Evangelho Vineyard is all class. Bright, effusive and punchy, the 2021 impresses with its poise and overall character. Inky blue/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, menthol and licorice are front and center. This exuberant Contra Costa Carignane/Mourvèdre hits all the right notes. I would give the 2021 a year or two in the cellar for the tannins to soften a bit."
- By Antonio Galloni on April 2023 (94 points)
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2021 Desire Lines Winds of Change Syrah
Like our 2020 Winds of Change Red Wine, the 2021 Syrah includes a good chunk from Santa Barbara County – 68% to be exact, with the remainder coming more locally from the North Coast. A couple of lots included Viognier as a conferment, for an average of just under one percent Viognier within the blend. All lots were fermented with some whole cluster inclusion, and the wines were raised almost exclusively in 500L barrels without racking. No new oak barrels were used. All said, I’m just so happy with this wine – it’s a pleasure to make and an absolute joy to drink. "The 2021 Syrah Winds of Change is fabulous. Silky and perfumed, this mid-weight Syrah is compelling right out of the glass. Scents of lavender, spice, mint and licorice open first, followed by a burst of blue/purplish Syrah fruit. Deceptive in its mid-weight feel, the 2021 is bursting with flavor and freshness. Drink it over the next decade or so." - By Antonio Galloni on April 2023 (94+ points)Sign Up to receive future Offerings
2021 Desire Lines Cachagua Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmel Valley
We’ve named this wine “Cachagua Ridge” as an ode to the place – the vineyard is planted on a ridge above the Cachagua Valley, below the towering peaks of the Ventana Wilderness. “Cachagua” is purported to mean “hidden waters”, a nod to the underground springs that flow down from the Santa Lucia Mountains all along the length of the valley. The wine was fully destemmed; fermented and left on skins for 30 days; racked once over the course of a fifteen-month élevage; and raised in a mix of 225L and 500L barrels with 40% new oak included (Taransaud’s Grande Chauffe toast). I love the balance of savory and fruit-sweet elements within this wine, and I’m kind of astounded by the density and ripeness the wine possesses at just 13.4% alcohol. I think the wine is drinking exceptionally well right now, and I expect it to age beautifully – a perfect cellar defender Cabernet from one of my new favorite wine regions.Sign Up to receive future Offerings
2021 Desire Lines Wiley Vineyard Riesling, Anderson Valley
Our 2021 Wiley Vineyard Riesling was whole-cluster pressed and fermented in tank at cool-ish temperatures (60-64F). After fermentation, the wine was racked with its lees to neutral 320L large format barrels for élevage and wasn’t racked again until bottling in July. With 8 grams RS, a TA of 8.0 (!), and a pH of 3.02, the wine is lushly rich yet racy and vibrant, with a crisp saline finish. I’m in love with this wine – the nose is super expressive (lime, jasmine, green apple, and orange blossom) and the palate melds perfectly ripe fruit with zesty acidity and a wet-stone minerality that I find so compelling and refreshing."The 2021 Riesling Wiley Vineyard is fresh and beautifully lifted in the glass. Green pear, lime and mint confer freshness throughout. A hint of residual sugar works quite well in giving this sensual Riesling lovely complexity and character." - By Antonio Galloni on April 2023 (92 points)
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2021 Desire Lines Lichau Hill Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
We’re thrilled to re-introduce our Cabernet Sauvignon from Lichau Hill Vineyard, which has been missing the past couple years because of smoke exposure in 2020 and because we’ve increased the élevage time from 15 months to 20 months. Armed with three years’ experience with the vineyard and thanks to a close relationship with the vineyard owners, we’ve made a number of subtle tweaks to our Lichau Hill Cabernet Sauvignon. All of which, I think, make the case that this vineyard should be regarded as an iconic (and unmistakably distinctive) California Cabernet site. Our 2021 Lichau Hill Cabernet Sauvignon is a head-spinning wine and shows just how magical this vineyard site is. Raspberry, cassis, and rose petal leap from the glass, while spice, cedar, and tobacco infuse this expressive Petaluma Gap Cabernet with tremendous intensity. On the palate, the wine is both deliciously engaging and classically built, with fresh acidity, fine grained tannins, and a sweet core of red fruit held in a lovely balance. We’d recommend lots of air to unlock everything this wine has to give – give it a double decant a half-day in advance of enjoying.Sign Up to receive future Offerings
2021 Desire Lines La Jolla del Norte Riesling
Our 2021 La Jolla del Norte Vineyard Riesling is a crown jewel, both rare and beautiful, coming from half of seven rows of old-vine Riesling just east of the Silverado Trail in St. Helena, in soils that glitter black in the daylight from all the obsidian sprinkled throughout the vineyard. The vines were planted in 1961, according to Katrina Kirkham (or perhaps 1970), who with her husband Gene purchased the land from Captain John Thomas Blackburn in 1975. A planting date of 1961 places this as California’s third-oldest Riesling vineyard, behind just the venerable Stony Hill (1948) and hometown favorite Heinstein (1954). Amazingly, these vines have been farmed organically by the Kirkham family since 1979, almost two decades before national organic standards and certifying bodies existed.
The fruit was whole-cluster pressed, settled in tank, and racked to two neutral barrels for fermentation. In the spring following harvest, the wine was racked to stainless steel drums to preserve freshness and tension. The resulting wine is beautifully aromatic, generously textured, and a glimpse into the past. Or, perhaps even a vision of what a more diverse Napa Valley might look like in the future.
91 points - Antonio Galloni, Vinous
“The 2021 No. 11 Crown Jewel is Riesling from the La Jolla del Norte Vineyard in St. Helena. Airy and weightless, the 2021 is full of citrus, white flowers, sage, mint and green pear notes. A whole range of savory and earthy inflections emerge with air. Bright acids give this understated, mid-weight Riesling tons of energy.” -AG
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2020
2020 Desire Lines Cole Ranch Riesling
As always, the 2020 Cole Ranch Riesling is a wine that’s especially close to my heart – our fifth year working with the old-vine Riesling from Cole Ranch, which seems hard to believe even in retrospect. When I tied my business card to the gate with the brown paper handle from our lunch sack in October of 2016, I didn’t think we’d get the fruit in the first place, and I never would have dared to dream that we’d grow to know and love the vineyard over half a decade (and counting). Our 2020 Cole Ranch Riesling is cut in the mold of our 2018 – 3.4 g/L residual sugar with a 3.03 pH and 7.3 titratable acidity. We see this as a wine that's going to age beautifully, though it is delicious now with a short decant bringing out the lime zest and orange peel notes - tasting great on the third night open (that is, if the bottle lasting that long!).Sign Up to receive future Offerings
2020 Desire Lines Experimental Series #7 - Kick Ranch Sauvignon Blanc
The Sauvignon Blanc is planted on the rockiest soils at Kick Ranch, at the top of the ridge as the vineyard road winds upward past the rest of the blocks into the Mayacamas Mountains. The rocky soils keep the vine’s vigor in check; careful canopy management creating a range of sun exposures gives a whole range of fruit flavors in the wine; and cold nights and generally cool days give the wine a citrusy zest and floral raciness. The grapes were whole-cluster pressed and the juice was fermented in Stockinger 228L barrels (with a second- and a third-fill for a touch of sappy oak sweetness) and left on lees for ten months until bottling in July. I’m really pleased with this wine and am looking forward to working with the beautiful fruit from Kick Ranch for many years to come.Sign Up to receive future Offerings
2020 Desire Lines Shake Ridge Viognier
The wine strikes a balance between Viognier’s lush apricot flavors and fresher citrus and lemongrass tones, with a nice core of acidity framed by Viognier’s trademark phenolic grip. The wine was raised in one second-fill Stockinger 228L and an additional stainless steel drum, again to strike a balance between freshness and richness. I suspect that a lot of folks who imagine that they don’t like Viognier will be surprised, like me, by just how much they like this rendition. Further proof that Shake Ridge is a special place for grapes, in this case because of Ann Kraemer’s remarkable intuition and insight to plant Viognier in the exact right spot.SOLD OUT - Sign Up to receive future Offerings
2020 Desire Lines Evangelho Red Wine
Our 2020 Evangelho Red Wine sits between the zesty 2018 and (modestly) richer 2019, stylistically – linear and fresh like the 2018 but a touch silkier on the palate, with a hint of the fruit sweetness and youthful exuberance that characterizes the 2019. As in previous vintages, the wine was fermented with 30% whole cluster under a submerged cap and aged for ten months in neutral 400L barrels. As I’ve said before, I love the 400L barrel size for Carignan – it retains freshness and builds tension like all large format barrels, but with a less reductive tendency than the 500L and 600L barrels that I prefer for Syrah and Mourvèdre. The Carignan gives the wine a singular juiciness and floral and red-fruit aromas, with a soft tannin profile and vibrant acidity. The inclusion of cluster adds spice to the nose, while the small portion of carbonic maceration and Mourvèdre add flesh to the palate. We model our winemaking after the great cru Beaujolais - wines that are delightful when young but age beautifully as well.Sign Up to receive future Offerings
2020 Desire Lines Wiley Vineyard Riesling
We’re thrilled to introduce a second vineyard-designate California Riesling for Desire Lines. Hailing from the wilds of Mendocino County: Wiley Vineyard, in the Deep End of Anderson Valley. We first worked with the fruit from Wiley Vineyard in 2019, and bottled the wine under our Experimental Series, because it was too good not to. With vineyard illustration now in hand, the wine will be joining our regular cast of characters, we hope as a long-time stalwart. Wiley is pure and lean on the palate (7 g/L RS) and characterized by lemon citrus, beguiling florals, resinous herbs, and a slight brackishness on the nose. In other words, it tastes just as it should – like Riesling from a cold, maritime vineyard at the edge of ripening in the Deep End of Anderson Valley.Sign Up to receive future Offerings
2020 Desire Lines Winds of Change Red Wine
The wine is, quite simply, Desire Lines – our whole journey – captured in one bottle. The wine is our ode to California’s cool and windy places, where some of our favorite varieties take on new life—Syrah becomes lithe and perfumed, Carignan becomes vibrant and rich, and Mourvèdre smells like a strawberry pie cooling on the windowsill on a sultry summer night. It’s been fascinating to get to know the vineyards of Santa Barbara more intimately (shoutout to Thompson Vineyard in particular for this wine) and I’m excited by the way the freshness, concentration, and fruit-forward nature of those wines marries to the slightly more stern architecture and savory character of our North Coast vineyards. We’ve lovingly referred to this as our “back the truck up” wine. I have no doubt that this wine will benefit from time in bottle as well, just like its vineyard-designate brethren, but all the same the wine is built to be more immediately user-friendly. As we say on the back label: may this wine be a wind of change for these underrated varieties that we love so much!Sign Up to receive future Offerings
2020 Desire Lines Experimental Series #9 - Cat Canyon Chenin Blanc
Being our first foray into white wine from Santa Barbara County, this was both a challenging and exciting wine to make. The juice pressed out beautifully fresh and crisp, and after a short cold settle in tank was put down to barrel for fermentation (a combination of second- and third-fill Stockinger 228L barrels, neutral 300L puncheons, and neutral 320L cigare-shaped puncheons). Ultimately, we ended up bottling just three of eight barrels, and the resulting wine is absolutely fascinating – you can practically smell the brackish, salty sea breeze blowing in off the coast, landing gently on juicy green apples and salted lemon rinds. My favorite Chenin Blancs are those made from the hill of Breze by the likes of Thierry Germain, Romain Guiberteau, and Brendan Stater-West, and this wine certainly speaks with the same vocabulary.Sign Up to receive future Offerings
2020 Desire Lines Shake Ridge Syrah
The 2020 vintage in the Sierra Foothills of Amador County was a warm one, and I think you can sense the warm August nights in the lush mouthfeel and extra dash of olive brine on the nose. The wine is its usual exotic, sultry self - salted plum, raspberry, candied orange rind, and white pepper make for an intoxicating wine.Sign Up to receive future Offerings
2020 Desire Lines Wiley Vineyard Spätlese Riesling, Anderson Valley
There’s not a lot of this to go around, so I’ll keep this short. In 2020 we made just a single barrel of a Spätlese-style Riesling from Wiley Vineyard, with a residual sugar of 53 g/L. It’s one of the rare examples of a Spätlese Riesling that I know of in recent California Riesling history, and I think the wine is positively radiant. So much so that we’re holding back half of the wine for our own library, to drink with our children for many years to come (sorry!). We’ve had this open for a week in the fridge and the wine barely budged, and given the mysterious ability of sweet wines to resist oxidation, I expect this to have a lengthy and noble life in bottle."The 2020 Riesling Wiley Vineyard Experimental Series No. 8 At First Sight is stunning. Rich, layered and super-expressive, the 2020 is a total knock-out. It's done in a richer style than the straight Wiley, with more residual sugar, an approach that works especially well. This is another of the most memorable wines I have tasted so far from 2020. Terrific." - Antonio Galloni, 94 points
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2019
2019 Desire Lines Winds of Change Red Wine
Desire Lines – our whole journey – captured in one bottle, our ode to California’s cool and windy places, where some of our favorite varieties take on new life—Syrah becomes lithe and perfumed, Carignan becomes vibrant and rich, and Mourvèdre smells like a strawberry pie cooling on the windowsill on a sultry summer night. The 2019 is an approachable blend built around Syrah (73%), with the addition of Mourvèdre (10%), Carignan (8%), Grenache (6%), and Petite Sirah (3%). Strawberry and red cherry fruit compote on the nose complemented by savory notes and a subtle spice, with fine-grained tannins on the palate and a terrific juiciness and succulence.Sign Up to receive future Offerings
2019 Desire Lines Experimental Series #3: Wiley Vineyard Riesling
Wiley Vineyard was one of the first few vineyards to be planted in Anderson Valley following the repeal of Prohibition, with a block of Riesling planted in 1976 on a ridgeline above the valley floor, encircled by redwoods and Douglas fir trees. Since then, Wiley has gained prestigious neighbors – Bearwallow and Kiser vineyards are just across the highway, and Wendling Vineyard is on the other side of the ridge. Wiley Vineyard is colder than Cole Ranch with a prominent marine influence from the nearby Pacific Ocean, giving a wine that’s relatively more taught and laser-focused. Because the two wines are made so similarly (whole cluster pressing with cold settling in tank, followed by fermentation in neutral barrels, where the wines are left on fine lees until bottling in the summer) the difference between the wines is simply vineyard expression. Whereas Cole Ranch is extravagantly perfumed and exotic in the glass with a bracing tension and viscousness on the palate, Wiley is pure and lean on the palate (3 g/L RS) and characterized by lemon citrus, resinous herbs, and a slight brackishness on the nose. In other words, it tastes just as it should – like Riesling from a cold, maritime vineyard at the edge of ripening in the Deep End of Anderson Valley.Sign Up to receive future Offerings
2019 Desire Lines Lichau Hill Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
This is the second wine we’ve released from Lichau Hill Vineyard and I’m even more excited about the potential of the vineyard than I was last year. Lichau Hill is an absolutely exceptional site, the perfect marriage of a cooler coastal climate and the crazy rocky soils of a great mountain Cabernet vineyard. Freshness, perfume and vibrancy meets power and concentration. Our 2019 Lichau Hill Cabernet Sauvignon was fully destemmed, fermented and left on skins for thirty days in tank, and aged for 15 months in 225L barriques with 33% new oak included. The wine has a silky mouthfeel with vibrant acidity and a distinctly red-fruited profile, with pretty notes of red currant, red apple skin, rose petals and graphite. For the first time in 2019 we experimented with racking during élevage and I’m very pleased with the results. Four of the six barrels in the blend were racked once, after malolactic, and I like that the little bit of added oxygen helped to polish the tannin and brought out some of the floral and subtly savory aspects of Cabernet’s personality, while reducing some of the sweetening and softening effects of extended time on lees. It’s a direction we’ll continue in the future with Cabernet.Sign Up to receive future Offerings
2019 Desire Lines Cole Ranch Riesling
Our 2019 Cole Ranch Riesling is especially lush and exotic, with eight grams per liter RS balanced by seven grams per liter titratable acidity and a 3.1 pH. The wine most closely resembles our 2016 Cole Ranch Riesling, which has aged beautifully, and reminds me of the first bite of the last peach of summer at farmer’s market – juicy and decadent, richness balanced by a snap of acidity and a hint of bitterness from the peach skin.Sign Up to receive future Offerings
2019 Desire Lines Experimental Series #4: Fred Rides Again
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2019 Desire Lines Evangelho Red Wine
Like our Cole Ranch Riesling the past two years, our 2018 and 2019 Evangelho Vineyard red wines perfectly exemplify the vintages – whereas the 2018 is zesty and bracing, primed for an exceptionally long life, the 2019 is charming and supple already in bottle. 2019s will drink well young and are the perfect counterpoint to the 2018s that will reward time in bottle. As in previous vintages, the wine was fermented with 30% whole cluster under a submerged cap and aged for ten months in neutral 400L barrels. I love the 400L barrel size for Carignan – it retains freshness and builds tension like all large format barrels, but with a less reductive tendency than the 500L and 600L barrels that I prefer for Syrah and Mourvèdre. The Carignan from Evangelho gives a juicy wine that smells of flowers and red fruits, with a soft tannin profile and vibrant acidity. The inclusion of cluster adds spice to the nose, while the small portion of carbonic maceration and Mourvèdre add flesh to the palate. The winemaking style is inspired by our love for the great cru Beaujolais of France (and in our book, that’s Clos de la Roilette’s Cuvée Tardive and the old-vine single parcels of Château Thivin): wines that are a joy to drink while young and age gracefully as well. Look for an extra degree of richness and viscosity on the palate of the 2019 Evangelho Red Wine – it’s positively gulp-able.Sign Up to receive future Offerings
2019 Desire Lines Griffin’s Lair Syrah
Griffin’s Lair continues to amaze me by the way it bears the imprint of the vintage so clearly – we do practically the exact same thing in the winery each year, and yet the wine has a personality all its own year after year. As always, the wine was handled exactly the same as previous vintage: the wine fermented un-inoculated with 50% whole cluster and a submerged cap through the first half of fermentation, pressed off just short of dryness, and put down to neutral large format barrels for 15 months before bottling. The wine tastes unmistakably like Griffin’s Lair, suffused with cherry, black tea, and bacon fat, all of which are cast in high relief by the cap submersion.Sign Up to receive future Offerings
2019 Desire Lines Experimental Series #5 - Bedrock Vineyard Mourvèdre
With apologies to all our other wonderful vineyards (we love you all, really!), Bedrock Vineyard is undoubtably the most important vineyard in our family’s life, and my favorite blocks there are the two small blocks of old-vine Mourvèdre, planted on a rocky, north-facing knoll that runs gently down to Hooker Creek to the north. Our 2019 Bedrock Vineyard Mourvèdre was fermented with 40% whole cluster and raised in barrel for fifteen months without racking, in a combination of 228L and 600L barrels. The stem inclusion adds a lovely bit of spice to the nose, the subtle carbonic adds a little flesh to the palate, and the combination of barrel sizes teases out both breadth and tension in the finished wine. Befitting Bedrock Vineyard, this is a powerful wine, perhaps the richest wine that we’ve made to date for Desire Lines. For so many reasons, this was an especially satisfying wine for us to bottle, and we’re very grateful for the privilege and the opportunity to have worked with Bedrock Vineyard.Sign Up to receive future Offerings
2019 Desire Lines Belle Mount Syrah, Bennett Valley
The name of this cuvée is a deep cut – Belle Mount was the name given to the first vineyard and winery established in Bennett Valley, by Isaac DeTurk in 1862. The name is thought to refer to the striking peak of Bennett Mountain that juts above Bennett Valley. This wine comes from a block that I’d long had my eye on, and I was thrilled in 2019 to finally get access to the fruit. Sensing that we had something special in the grapes from this vineyard, we made a particularly rigorous wine – 100% whole cluster with extended maceration and élevage in a single neutral 500L barrel without racking. This wine rivals our Syrahs from Griffin’s Lair for its intensity and concentration, though a touch more reserved at this stage. It’s a thoroughly classical wine inspired by the old-school Côte-Rôtie that I love (Levet, anyone?), with aromatics of boysenberry, raspberry, violets, and bacon that are just beginning to unlock and soar from the glass. We’d recommend a long decant and a side of fatty steak, or more time sideways in bottle. This will be our last wine released from the 2019 vintage – we held this wine back in bottle for longer than usual, and I’m really excited about where this wine is headed.Sign Up to receive future Offerings
2018
2018 Desire Lines Evangelho Red Wine
Our 2018 Evangelho Red Wine is a blend of roughly 90% Carignan and 10% Mourvèdre. Like the 2017, the wine was fermented with 30% whole cluster under a submerged cap and aged for ten months in neutral 400L barrels. We love the 400L barrel size for Carignan – it retains freshness and builds tension like all large format barrels, but with a less reductive tendency than the 500L and 600L barrels that I prefer for Syrah and Mourvèdre. The Carignan from Evangelho gives a juicy wine that smells of flowers and red fruits, with a soft tannin profile and vibrant acidity. The inclusion of cluster adds spice to the nose, while the small portion of carbonic maceration and Mourvèdre add flesh to the palate. The winemaking style is inspired by our love for the great cru Beaujolais of France: wines that are a joy to drink while young and age gracefully as well."The 2018 Red Wine Evangelho Vineyard, a blend of 90% Carignan and 10% Mourvedre, is a very pretty, lifted wine. Bright floral notes, red Carignan fruit, blood orange and wild flowers give this silky, mid-weight Contra Costa red tons of class and personality. There is just a touch of reduction, so I would give this a few hours of air." - 92 points, Antonio Galloni (Vinous)
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2018 Desire Lines Experimental Series #2: Fred’s Home Block Mourvèdre
Fred’s Home Block Mourvèdre is from a small parcel of magnificent Mourvèdre planted in the 1880s in Oakley. The vineyard was for many years a core piece of the Bonny Doon Cigare Volant, and for good reason, we’ve discovered: the wine is incredible. The vines are planted on the eastern edge of the Oakley Sands three miles east of Evangelho Vineyard. The wine was fermented with 30% whole cluster for 30 days in tank (we typically drain and press our Evangelho Carignan around 18-21 days) and raised in a single neutral 600L barrel. The wine smells like our local Watmaugh strawberries baked in a cobbler, with orange citrus, a hint of Mourvèdre’s distinctive gaminess, and a plush mouthfeel."The 2018 Mourvedre Experimental Series No. 2 - Fred's Home Block from the Del Barba Vineyard, is bold, racy and full of character. Sweet red cherry, plum, leather and earthy notes abound in this mid-weight, flavorful Mourvedre from Cody and Emily Rasmussen. Medium in body, yet deep and so expressive, the 2018 is a winner in this lineup." - 93 points, Antonio Galloni (Vinous)
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2018 Desire Lines Cole Ranch Riesling
The 2018 Cole Ranch Riesling was whole-cluster pressed to tank, where the juice was cold settled for 48 hours before being racked to neutral wood barrels for fermentation. For whatever reason, Cole Ranch has always been a slow fermenter, and 2018 proved to be no different – I got only two of the four barrels sulfured before Christmas, while the other two barrels didn’t finish primary fermentation until late January. The 2018 is beautifully fragrant, with a dizzying array of aromas: white flowers, lime zest, peach, mango, and fresh ginger. And, like the German Grosses Gewächs Rieslings that we love so much, the wine is a study in tension and richness, with a few grams of residual sugar retained to balance the abundant acidity."The 2018 Riesling Cole Ranch is a wine of real distinction and class. Varietally expressive and beautifully layered, the 2018 dazzles from start to finish. Orange confit, wild flowers, ginger, sage, honey and tropical accents all run through this nuanced, inviting Riesling. Bright saline notes play off the wine's more overt leanings so well. I have a feeling the 2017 has room to grow today. The 2018 is simply impeccable, not to mention incredibly delicious." -94 points, Antonio Galloni (Vinous)
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2018 Desire Lines Griffin’s Lair Syrah
Griffin’s Lair is the vineyard that we first bought fruit from in 2015, the founding vineyard for Desire Lines – the vineyard that launched a thousand FedEx packages. Like previous vintages, the wine fermented un-inoculated with 50% whole cluster and a submerged cap through the first half of fermentation, pressed off just short of dryness, and put down to neutral large format barrels for 15 months before bottling. The wine tastes unmistakably like Griffin’s Lair, suffused with cherry, black tea, and bacon fat, all of which are cast in high relief by the cap submersion. The vineyard continues to amaze me by the way it bears the imprint of the vintage so clearly – we do practically the exact same thing in the winery each year, and yet the wine has a personality all its own year after year. The 2018 shares some of the pliancy, sinewy heft and briny personality of the 2015 (which has aged beautifully) leavened by a brightness and snap that calls to mind the 2016.Sign Up to receive future Offerings
2018 Desire Lines Shake Ridge Syrah
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2018 Desire Lines Lichau Hill Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
Rated 90 points, Antonio Galloni
"The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Lichau Hill Vineyard is an attractive wine marked more by an approach that seeks freshness and energy, but some of that comes at the expression of both varietal and site character. The 2018 is pretty, but not especially typical of Cabernet, and quite similar in profile to the other wines in the range." - April 2020
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2017
2017 Desire Lines Shake Ridge Syrah
The 2017 Shake Ridge Syrah is our richest, most intense yet, fermented with 60% whole cluster and aged for 14 months in large-format 500L barrels, including a single new light-toast Taransaud barrel. We attribute the 2017's density and decadence primarily to the growing season (warmer than 2016's), but also in part from the inclusion of 2% Viognier co-fermented with the Syrah. We get fruit from two different blocks on the front of the ranch, from the first vines planted at Shake Ridge in 2003. Both blocks run from the crown of a ridge down into the colder swale, giving us a range of flavors to work with – textbook Syrah game and funk from the top, acid and fresh blue fruit flavors from the bottom. The wine is exotically perfumed with firm tannin and a sweet core of fruit that runs through the center of the wine, fitting for a wine from the foothills.Sign Up to receive future Offerings
2017 Desire Lines Griffin’s Lair Syrah
Like previous vintages, the 2017 fermented un-inoculated with 50% whole cluster and a submerged cap through the first half of fermentation, pressed off just short of dryness, and put down to neutral large format barrels for 15 months before bottling. The resulting wine is lovely; our most ethereal Griffin’s Lair to date, suffused with cherry, black tea, and bacon fat, all of which are cast in high relief by the cap submersion. The wine is a touch softer on the palate than previous vintages, with a silky texture and rich yet delicate mouthfeel. It’s in a great place right now, seeming like the friendliest young Griffin’s Lair we’ve made yet.Sign Up to receive future Offerings
2017 Desire Lines Cole Ranch Riesling
Rated 93 points, Antonio Galloni
"The 2017 Riesling Cole Ranch is an exotic, beguiling beauty. Rich and luscious on the palate, the 2017 is decidedly flamboyant. Tangerine oil, passionfruit, honey, pineapple and sweet vanillin notes are all kicked up a few notches in the 2017. Rich and oily, but not at all heavy, the 2017 is a total rock-star wine with slight tropical accents that add to its sheer allure." - Antonio Galloni, April 2020
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2017 Desire Lines Evangelho Red Wine
Our 2017 Evangelho Red Wine is a blend of roughly 95% carignan and 5% mourvèdre. The wine was fermented with 30% whole cluster under a submerged cap and aged for ten months in neutral 400L barrels. The carignan from Evangelho gives a juicy wine that smells of flowers and red fruits, with a soft tannin profile (a product of the sandy soils) and vibrant acidity. The inclusion of cluster adds spice to the nose, while the small portion of carbonic maceration and mourvèdre add flesh to the palate. The winemaking style is inspired by our love for the great cru Beaujolais of France (and in our book, that’s Clos de la Roilette’s Cuvée Tardive and the old-vine single parcels of Château Thivin): wines that are a joy to drink while young and age gracefully as well.Sign Up to receive future Offerings
2016
2016 Desire Lines Cole Ranch Riesling
Cole Ranch is a rare jewel – a cold vineyard site with a long growing season, perfect for Riesling. The vines were planted at Cole Ranch in 1973 on St. George rootstock, head-trained and dry-farmed. The vineyard sits in a narrow valley in the mountains between Boonville and Ukiah. The soils warm up late in the spring, the valley tends to stay shaded by the sharp mountain ridges above, and temperatures plummet at night as cool air flows downhill into the vineyard. The grapes were picked perfectly ripe at a cool 21°brix and a pH below 3.0. Like the German Grosses Gewächs Rieslings that we love so much, the wine is a study in tension and richness, with a few grams of residual sugar retained to balance the abundant acidity. This is dry Riesling rendered in pointillist detail, shimmering and limpid.
Rated 94 points, Antonio Galloni
"The 2016 Riesling Cole Ranch is laced with the essence of dried flowers, mint, petrol, sage, chamomile and apricot. It is the most aromatically deep and structured of the three Rieslings I tasted, which may be a reflection of the vintage or time in bottle, possibly both. No matter, the 2016 exudes personality in its myriad layers of flavors and magnificent, regal balance. I loved it." - April 2020
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2016 Desire Lines Shake Ridge Syrah
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2016 Desire Lines Griffin’s Lair Syrah
"The 2016 Syrah Griffin's Lair Vineyard is a beautifully polished, nuanced wine that captures the personality of this Petaluma Gap site so well. Lavender, spice, leather, black pepper, licorice and dried flowers are all nicely woven together in this sleek, nuanced Syrah from Desire Lines." - 93 points, Antonio Galloni (Vinous)
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2015
2015 Desire Lines Griffin’s Lair Syrah
This wine is everything we hoped for – at once dense and yet lithe, soaringly aromatic, inspired by the traditional Cote Rotie and St-Joseph that we adore. The wine fermented un-inoculated with 50% whole cluster and a submerged cap through the first half of fermentation, pressed off just short of dryness, and put down to neutral large format barrels for 15 months before bottling. The wine tastes unmistakably like Griffin’s Lair, suffused with cherry, black tea, and bacon fat, all of which are cast in high relief by the cap submersion. We’re decanting this at home for at least 30 minutes, and are excited to watch this evolve in bottle for many years to come.
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2014
2014 Desire Lines Experimental Series #1: ‘The Gift’ Syrah
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