Story

Our story begins in 1986 when Francis Joyce, father of now Winemaker Russell Joyce planted a few small acres on a 36 degree sloped hillside in the small village of Carmel Valley which is located just 12 miles inland from the beautiful yet rugged Carmel coastline. Now winemaker Russell Joyce who grew up working amongst the vines at the small estate has followed passion championing Monterey County while relentlessly pursuing unique vineyard sites throughout the county with a focus on showcasing the potential of the Terrior in Monterey’s Coastal climate.

Winemaking

Winemaking is an art form to us. We are curious about our terrior here in Monterey. The vineyard sites, varietals, climate and soil types are vast and diverse. Transparency dictates our actions in the cellar with a common goal of letting the land and the grapes express themselves in the purest form possible. In the heart of Steinbeck Country, we produce and bottle all of our wines at our own facility in the rual farm town of Salinas California. We attempt to create wines that showcase balance, finesse and focus.

We harvest at moderate ripeness levels suited to the vineyard site and varietal in an attempt to capture the energy and tension of the specific varietal. Almost all elevage for our wines take place in neutral vessels allowing the transparency of the vineyard and grape varietal to shine. Our cellar practices are minimal and we attempt to gently guide our wines so that they show their true selves.

We use a combination of native and cultured yeasts along with small amounts of sulfur dioxide and light filtration when needed. Our dedication in the cellar is constant as we strive to produce honest wines that showcase the potential of the Terrior in Monterey.

Vineyards

The Bucolic Vineyards of Monterey County are the foundation for our inspiration for crafting wines with a sense of place. We farm our own small estate of 6 acres but mostly look to iconic growers in the region for the basis of our production. We do have plans to plant a new vineyard site for ourselves in the future but for now we will continue to work with local farmers who respect their land and deliver us premium quality wine grapes. The vast array of microclimates and soil types allow us to produce wines of typicity.

The names chosen for some of our wine stems from the coastal influence in our region, which is a direct result of the close proximity of the Monterey Bay. The cold water from depths of over 12,000 feet rises up into our atmosphere and moves down the valleys at night. The result is generally long cool growing seasons’ that produce grapes with bright acidity, mineral and saline components.