Skyline Vineyard

At 2360 feet of elevation, Skyline Vineyard is one of the highest Pinot Noir vineyards in California. This extreme altitude helps cool the vineyard while providing the constant sunshine that is found above the fog. The rocky soils are extremely shallow and make the vines work hard throughout the season. In order to produce a viable crop, the vines are very tightly spaced with Pinot Noir at 2'x3' and Syrah at 4'x3'. We think that Skyline is the most closely spaced Pinot Noir vineyard in California. Its 12 clones are planted in selection massale (mixed together) at a density of almost 7000 vines per acre.

We are very excited about this vineyard’s potential to make powerful, mineral-driven and aromatic wines. In the 2007 vintage, the first few barrels of Skyline Pinot Noir show a fantastic and unusual Moroccan spice and pepper character.

Elevation: 2270’- 2360’
Soil: A mélange of fractured mudstone, sandstone and limestone
Geology: San Lorenzo formation is Oligocene (like Vaqueros) or Eocene, approximately 34M yrs old.
Clones: 12 Pinot Noir (Selection Massale); 2 Syrah (Côte Rôtie and Chave)

Weather Data