The Vineyard

Winemaking

Mission

The Vineyard

“You don’t get to disguise anything in good winemaking. If something is not of top quality, we don’t use it.”

– Thomas Meagher, Proprietor & Winemaker

Coquette's Acre and the source of our proprietary field-blend whites.

In 1999 the Theater block was planted. So named because it is on a site which was previously the local drive-in theater that was destroyed, once and for all, in the last catastrophic flood of the Eel River in 1964. 

In 2000 the adjacent Pump House block was planted. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are the varieties grown on Theater and Pump House. In 2000, 500 Syrah vines were also planted closer to the river on the Lost Ten. The Lost Ten got its name before it became a vineyard when, one afternoon, Thomas' mother went for a hike to look for it. The block was so covered with brambles that it was unrecognizable as a piece of the family's property. She walked home without ever finding it.

In 2001 additional Syrah was added to the Lost Ten, along with Petite Syrah and Nebbiolo. Part of the Lost Ten is so rocky we call it Stony Top. Luckily, by that time, we had acquired heavy equipment to help dig holes for the vines and pound stakes for the trellis. Even so, we wore out two auger bits and bent over 50 stakes. Stony Top is also home to about ten rows of field-grafted "Bear Flats" Merlot, an especially delicious clone donated to the U.C. Davis foundation collection by Sterling Vineyards.

In 2002 we started planting on the site of the old Morrison Jackson Lumber Mill. This parcel is also the location of our crush pad and winery building. It was a very large and ambitious project and, unfortunately, resulted in some loss of young vines, which led to a big re-plant in 2003. The Old Mill block is home to two different clones of Cabernet Sauvignon, and a precious number of field-grafted "Bear Flats" and Malvasia Bianca vines. We are also using a different trellising system on the Old Mill; one that expands the canopy surface, increasing light absorption, with a more beneficial fruiting zone placement.

In 2003 we finished off the northern-most section of the Lost Ten with field-grafted Viognier, as well as Flora, which is a cross between Gewürztraminer and Semillon. This section is also home to an orphaned German white hybrid called Kerner, which we adopted from the U.C. Davis quarantined vineyard, by paying to have it tested and certified as virus free. Hence, it is now available through the U.C. Davis foundation collection.

Although we still purchase small lots of grapes from Mendocino County, the majority of those used in the winery are estate grown.