First Release of Pinot Noir Nielson Vineyard Swan Clone

We are thrilled to announce the release of our 2019 Pinot Noir Nielson Vineyard Swan Clone. This is our first release of Pinot Noir from Nielson Vineyard and it's exclusively for Wine Club members.

Nielson Vineyard pays homage to its namesake, Uriel J. Nielson, who in 1964 planted the first commercial vineyard in Santa Barbara County, a region previously considered too cold to grow grapes. Known as a viticulture pioneer, Nielson didn’t heed warnings from neighboring farmers and didn’t flinch in his stance that Santa Barbara County could be one among the top winegrowing regions in the world. This historic, cool-climate, benchland vineyard serves as a model for Santa Barbara’s viticultural experimentation and sustainable farming methods.

From Nielson Vineyard, we are sourcing a California heritage Pinot Noir clone called Swan. This clone was named for Joseph Swan, who was a pioneer in the Russian River Valley. In the 1980s, Norm worked near Joseph Swan's Vineyard in Russian River and for decades he's been curious about the intriguing fruit. He's delighted to finally have the opportunity to make his own expression from it. Norm was sold on the potential of the Nielson fruit after tasting a barrel sample of Bill Wathen's (Foxen) Nielson Vineyard Pinot Noir. Our wine benefited from a graceful aging of 18 months in French oak barrels with 25% new oak.