A light, pale straw color, crystalline. Aromatics of white blossoms, elderflower and lemon rind. Tart and snappy on the palate, holds a nice tension, then rounds out. A hint of guava, gooseberries and chalk. A nice finish of lemon and kumquat rind, rather long. I used to say drink it ice cold, but now I prefer it just off the ice bucket. Enjoy this rare single varietal gem!

French Colombard

The Story

A wine created originally from Nik and Zina’s love of oysters. After drinking countless Muscadet, Gruner, Vouvray and Sancerre, we wanted to bring something local to our portfolio which would pair with the beloved bi-valve. Our oyster runs on Tomales Bay always included Drakes Bay Oysters, Marshall Store and Hog Island. Nick had been a customer of Drake’s Bay Oyster Co (now gone) for over 40 years. Along came the discovery of French Colombard, a high acid, moderately aromatic white which needs no acid addition and naturally makes itself.

Mostly made in the sixties and seventies as a sweet wine, and also used extensively for blending to low acid varietals, some sparkling and brandy. Never respected much, but here we find it made in the dry, crisp style as a single varietal, (which by the way is very rare now on the North coast), and makes it suitable not only for oysters, but all seafood, crab especially, and cheeses. Over the years, we’ve made many experimental versions of this wine: no oak, all oak, etc. We’ve settled on about 20% neutral oak in the blend to give it a little complexity. This is not Central Valley French Colombard which is flabby and vapid. This one is local as local can be from the floor of the Russian River Valley at Cameron Ranch. I only know of one other vineyard in Sonoma County which produces this varietal. A rare gem that is worthy of recognintion both for it’s rarity and uniqueness in viticulture on the North Coast.

Silver Medal Winner 2019 Orange County Wine Society