Our Vineyards

The Mesa Vineyard is the first site of grape plantings by Mike and Brooke Carhartt. In 1996, they planted seven acres of Merlot and three of Syrah. Since then, we have grafted over to many different varietals and even interplanted some rows to increase the number of plants per acre and lower the pounds per plant ratio. The oldest plants are on a 10×6 system, meaning we have 10ft rows, with 6ft in between each plant. With the inter-plantings, it would make it a 10×3 system.

The site itself is very flat (hence the name ‘Mesa’) and sits about 300 feet above the rest of the ranch and winery. The vine rows run east to west, creating heavy south-side sun exposure, and a relatively shaded north-side. The soil structure is more or less a sandy-clay-loam, with low-fertility, meaning the grapevines achieve a healthy balance between canopy and actual grape cluster growth.

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We began farming our 11 Oaks Vineyard in 2007. The vineyard was originally planted in 1986 to two clones of Sangiovese, both brought over (suitcased) from Tuscany, Italy. The two clones, Esole e Olena and Fontodi, still exist and thrive on estates in Chianti to this day. Interestingly enough, Chianti has very similar growing conditions to the central coast of California, which is why we can grow such amazing Sangiovese!

This vineyard is also home to our vacation rental (The retreat at 11 Oaks), and the vines surround the house. Since this site was planted over 30 years ago, the vine spacing is a bit mixed, but many of the blocks are 4ft rows with 3ft in between each plant. This entire vineyard is farmed by hand, and the density of plants is quite intense. While most of the blocks are planted to Sangiovese, we also have a bit of Petit Verdot and a small block of Montepulciano in front of the house.

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