vintage 2023
vintage 2023
Grapes farmed by David Dibiase. Wine raised by Herrmann York.
A blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mouvedre, and Zinfandel. Picked together from the loamy granite soils of a "holler" in the hills of upper Yucaipa, these grapes went directly to the press. Once pressed, the juice spontaneously fermented in an old French oak barrel and was dry in about one month. The wine aged for 10 months.
22 cases produced.
This wine was picked on September 12th, 2024.
David spent many years as a cartographer and a professor. In retirement, he looked for a way to reinvent himself. Lucky for us, he chose to do so as a viticulturist. He purchased a handful of acres abutting his property and went about planting what may prove to be the most characterful vineyard in the AVA. Though he is self-taught, his pruning and canopy management is staggering in its precision. He is the perfect partner for Herrmann York—thoughtful, generous, careful, and curious. You can taste all of this in the wine.
Small vineyards, farmed by those who planted them, have been a source of some of the most fulfilling wines we've made. This vineyard is perhaps one of the best examples. When the fires of 2024 threatened us with smoke taint, we pursuaded David that making a rosato was likely the safest choice. He agreed, but was uninthusiastic. He didn't much care for rosé. But he kept an open mind, introduced many world-class rosés to his cellar, and fell in love with the style and this particular wine. Now we know this is a rosato vineyard.
Grapes farmed by Agustine Olvera and crew. Wine raised by Herrmann York.
A rosato wine from the Grenache grape, produced from 100-year-old, own rooted, unirrigated bush vines in Ontario California.
The soil is sandy loam of granite alluvium from the south side of the San Gabriel Mountains.
The fruit was quickly foot tread, then immediately bucketed into the press. It spontaneously fermented in old French oak barrels and was dry in about one month. The wine aged for 10 months in old French oak on lees.
44 cases produced.
This wine was picked on August 30th, 2024
This vineyard, which goes by many names, is the last remaining swath of Secondo Guasti's 5000-acre planting from the turn of the 20th century. The vines are old an own-rooted, the soil is sandy, and the site is surrounded on all side by massive warehouses. It's a wonder it still exists. Perhaps it won't soon.
This vineyard and the wine it produces is likely the most intriguing of the Cucamonga vineyards. There is finesse, there is power. There is something waiting under the surface to be revealed. We experiment with technique, pick date, and aging with this one. While the wine is delightful year after year, we are still left with the feeling the wine has more to say. And we'll continue to give it voice.
Grapes farmed by Agustine Olvera and crew. Wine raised by Herrmann York.
A white wine from the Palomino grape, produced from 100-year-old, own rooted, unirrigated bush vines in Fontana California.
The soil is sandy loam of granite alluvium from the south side of the San Gabriel Mountain range.
The fruit was quickly foot tread, then immediately bucketed into the press. It spontaneously fermented in old French oak barrels and was dry in about one month. The wine aged for 10 months in old French oak on lees.
22 cases produced.
This wine was picked on August 7th, 2024
Lopez Ranch is planted in the Cucamonga Valley at an elevation of 1200 feet. Once a part of the Rancho San Bernardino, the property is now owned by a multi-national holding company and leased by the Galleano family, who carries out the farming and harvesting of the vines. Every year, warehouses and housing tracts close in on it from all directions. One day, and perhaps soon, it will be gone.
Palomino is rare in California, as it is in the rest of the world. Add to that the fact that this vineyard is own-rooted, unirrigated, and over 100 years old, and you get a singular wine, indeed. One that is a strange and beautiful asset to southern California wine history. Each year we narrow in on our technique. There are no major changes in how we produce it. Though many claim Palomino is a neutral grape, this vineyard, at least, produces a wine that has a rich character and an unmistakable typicity; it needs little coaxing to reward you.
Grapes farmed by Jeff Newton and crew (Rock Farm), Agustine Olvera and crew (Lopez Ranch), and Jon and Annette Carlo and crew (Carlo Vineyard), and Conrad Daniel (San Timeteo Canyo).
A multi-region blend of direct-pressed and whole-bunch fermented Zinfandel, Grenache Blanc, Grenache Noir, and Barbera
Direct-Press:
2 barrels of Carlo Vineyard Zinfandel
2 barrels of co-fermented Grenache Blanc and Grenache Noir
Destemmed fermentation:
1 barrel of San Timeteo Canyon Barbera
The soils across the region are quite similar: predominantly decomposed granite from the San Gabriel (Rock Farm) and San Bernardino (Carlo) mountain ranges. San Timeteo Canyon, however, is decomposed granite on a bed of clay.
The majority of the fruit was pressed, then spontaneously fermented in old French oak. It was dry in about a month and was then racked and aged for 9 months in old French oak.
One barrel of red wine was blended into the juice after malolactic conversion was complete. This red wine was destemmed and fermented on skins for about 14 days. It then aged for 9 months in an old French oak barrel before being blended. Thirty mg/l of sulfur were added to the blend after malolactic conversion was complete. The alcohol is 12% by volume.
110 cases produced.
This wine was picked on August 13th, September 2nd, and September 2th.
Rock Farm Vineyard is planted in Little Rock in the Antelope Valley of the California High Desert at an elevation of 3100 feet. The vines were four years old at harvest.
Conrad Daniel's Barbera is located in San Timeteo Canyon at an elevation of 1500 feet. The vines were 20 years old at the time of harvest.
Carlo Vineyard is planted in the Yucaipa Valley at an elevation of 3200 feet. The vines were four years old at harvest.
If a red wine is defined by a tannic structure, and a white wine is defined by an acidic structure, a rosé straddles the line between the two. This chimeric quality is only ever explored in the most uncommon bottles. And these tend to be some of our favorites from around the world.
Every year, Herrmann York makes a wine that celebrates the people that make our winery possible, and we call it Los Empleados. It's a different cuvee and and exploration of a new style every vintage. This year we made a blended rosé of our favorite grape, Zinfandel, along with a few new varieties to explore the stylistic possibilities a multi-variety pink wine.
Grapes farmed by Jeff Newton and crew (Rock Farm).
A single-site blend of Clairette and Grenache Blanc.
The soils is predominantly decomposed granite from the San Gabriel (Lopez and Rock Farm) mountain range.
The varieties were fermented seperately on stems and skins and were stomped once daily for 10 days. The must was then pressed and the wine aged in neutral French oak for 9 months. The wines were assembled after malolactic conversion was complete.
154 cases produced.
This wine was picked on August 13th and August 16th.
Rock Farm Vineyard is planted in Little Rock in the Antelope Valley of the California High Desert at an elevation of 3100 feet. The vines were four years old at harvest.
An orange wine is a little cynical these days. Making one feels a bit like pandering to the audience—perhaps only because its nuances matter less than they do with other styles. The fact that it is a "skin contact" wine is sufficent for most. But we did want to make one with as much care as we make our other wines and see if we could have a nuanced conversation about texture and aroma while also partying a little. Hopefully it doesn't seem too desperate.
Grapes farmed by Jeff Newton and crew (Rock Farm) and Paul and Joni Rawson (Rawson Vineyard).
A multi-site blend of Clairette, Grenache Blanc, and Fiano.
The soil is predominantly decomposed granite from the San Gabriel (Rock Farm) mountain range and a sand a clay mix coming down from San Bernadino peak (Rawson Vineyard).
The varieties were fermented seperately as juice after pressing. The wine aged in epoxy and old French oak for 10 months. The wines were assembled after malolactic conversion was complete.
110 cases produced.
This wine was picked on August 13th, August 16th, and september 4th.
Rock Farm Vineyard is planted in Little Rock in the Antelope Valley of the California High Desert at an elevation of 3100 feet. The vines were four years old at harvest.
Rawson Vineyard is planted on the North Bench if Yucaipa at an elevation of 3500 ft.
An orange wine is a little cynical these days. Making one feels a bit like pandering to the audience—perhaps only because its nuances matter less than they do with other styles. The fact that it is a "skin contact" wine is sufficent for most. But we did want to make one with as much care as we make our other wines and see if we could have a nuanced conversation about texture and aroma while also partying a little. Hopefully it doesn't seem too desperate.
Grapes farmed by Abe Schoener and the LA River Wine Company, Raj Parr and his devoted crew, and Herrmann York.
Lone Wolf is a special place. Planted in the 1890s, it was abandoned for about 60 years—unirrigated and un-pruned—until Abe Schoener and crew found it and devoted the next half decade to its revitilization. Early on, he invited us to share in the labor and the harvest. The vines are País and some natural hybrid, produced by reproduction with the wild grapes surrounding the vineyard.
We direct-pressed the wine, let it ferment for about a month, then aged in stainless steel for 20 months.
Because the amount of fruit we yield each year fluxuates dramatically, we've only made wine from this vineyard two times over the last 6 years: 2020 and 2023.
20 cases produced.
This wine was picked on September 21st.
The Lone Wolf Vineyard is located on the Pechanga Reservation near Temecula.
In 2020, when we made our first wine, we stuck around after the others had headed back to LA, and we picked our fruit from the north east corner of the vineyard. The block is affactionately known as The Wildlands. We loved the wine it produced. Three years later when we had the chance to harvest again, it was looking like either Abe or Raj would end up harvesting fruit from that corner because of how the trucks were lined up and how the vines were picking out. That is until someone stepped on a subterranian wasp next, releasing a swarm of pissed off hornets. The other pickers fled the scene, but Abe said we were welcome to continue picking. So, because of les guêpes, we were able to explore this small block once again.
Grapes farmed by Agustine Olvera and crew.
A red wine from the Zinfandel grape, produced from 100-year-old, own rooted, unirrigated bush vines in Fontana California. The soil is sandy loam of granite alluvium from the south side of the San Gabriel Mountain range.
Half the clusters were kept in tact and burried under a blanket of destemmed fruit. The ferment lasted about 14 days on skin. We then pressed the wine and let it rest in neutral barrels for 20 months.
44 cases produced.
This wine was picked on August 15th .
Lopez Ranch is planted in the Cucamonga Valley at an elevation of 1200 feet. Once a part of the Rancho San Bernardino, the property is now owned by a multi-national holding company and leased by the Galleano family, who carries out the farming and harvesting of the vines. Every year, warehouses and housing tracts close in on it from all directions. One day, and perhaps soon, it will be gone.
The 22 vintage was hot and dry. It made a wine of depth, concentration, and intensity—all while being harvested in July. During the 23 vintage, Southern California received more rain than it had in decades, and the weather was mild through spring and summer. Despite harvesting the fruit of this vintage a full month after the 22 vintage, it is about 2.5 degrees lower in alcohol with the same aromatic intensity and a more restrained, though still concentrated, character. We typically don't get the luxury of an elevage of over a year, but the stars aligned this year, and we thought the wine had plenty of room to unwind. It rewareded is for our patience.
Grapes farmed by Jeff Newton and crew (Rock Farm), Agustine Olvera and crew (Lopez Ranch), and Donna Snodgrass and Cesar Roldan (Snodgrass Vineyard). Wine raised by Herrmann York.
A multi-region blend of direct-pressed and whole-bunch fermented Zinfandel.
Direct-Press:
1.5 barrels of Snodgrass Vineyard
1.5 barrels of Lopez Ranch
2 barrels of Rock Farm
Whole-bunch fermented:
1 barrel of Lopez Ranch
The soils across the region are quite similar: predominantly decomposed granite from the San Gabriel (Lopez and Rock Farm) and San Bernardino (Snodgrass Vineyard) mountain ranges.
The majority of the fruit was pressed, then spontaneously fermented in old French oak. It was dry in about a month and was then racked and aged for 7 months in old French oak.
One barrel of red wine was blended into the white Zinfandel after malolactic conversion was complete. This red wine was vinified 50% whole-cluster under a layer of destemmed fruit for about 10 days. It then aged for 7 months in an old French oak barrel before being blended. Thirty mg/l of sulfur were added to the blend after malolactic conversion was complete. The alcohol is 12% by volume.
144 cases produced.
This wine was picked on August 18th, 2023 and September 9th, 2023.
Rock Farm Vineyard is planted in Little Rock in the Antelope Valley of the California High Desert at an elevation of 3100 feet. The vines were three years old at harvest.
Lopez Ranch is planted in Fontana in the Cucamonga Valley at an elevation of 1200 feet. The vines were 100+ years old at harvest.
Snodgrass vineyard is planted in the Yucaipa Valley at an elevation of 3200 feet.
If a red wine is defined by a tannic structure, and a white wine is defined by an acidic structure, a rosé straddles the line between the two. This chimeric quality is only ever explored in the most uncommon bottles. And these tend to be some of our favorites from around the world.
Every year, Herrmann York makes a wine that celebrates the people that make our winery possible, and we call it Los Empleados. It's a different cuvee and and exploration of a new style every vintage. This year we made a blended rosé of our favorite grape, Zinfandel, to explore the stylistic possibilities of a single-variety across multiple inland valley regions. The wine started its life as a pure, direct-press rosé, but because we had both red and white Zinfandel from Lopez Ranch, we indulged our curiosity by adding red Zinfandel and pushing the wine's texture into the center of the spectrum between tannin and acid. The wine can be drunk as either a dark rosé or a light red.
Grapes farmed by Annette Carlo (Carlo Vineyard), Cesar Roldan (Pendleton Vineyard and Wild Lilac Vineyard), and Rick Stark (Stark Ranch). Wine raised by Herrmann York.
A regional blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel from one of America's youngest viticultural areas, Yucaipa Valley. All of the vineyards are planted above 2000 feet elevation.
Cabernet Sauvignon
Stark Ranch (two barrels)
Pendleton Vineyard (one barrel)
Wild Lilac Vineyard (one barrel)
Zinfandel
Carlo Vineyard (5 barrels)
The Cabernet Sauvnignon was destemmed and fermented in upright French oak puncheons. The Zinfandel was fermented 50% whole-cluster under a blanket of destemmed fruit. Each lot fermented for about two weeks before being pressed off and racked to barrel where they aged for 10 months in a combination of new puncheons (40%) and old French oak barriques (60%). Thirty mg/l of sulfur was added after malolactic conversion was complete.
168 cases produced.
This wine was picked on four days between September 24th and September 30th, 2023.
Stark Ranch is about an acre and is planted in the Yucaipa Valley at an elevation of 2200 feet.
Carlo Vineyard is about an acre and is planted in the Yucaipa Valley at an elevation of 3200 feet.
Pendleton Vineyard is about an acre and is plated in the Yucaipa Valley at an elevation of 3200 feet.
Wild Lilac Vineyard is about half an acre and is planted in the Yucaipa Valley at an elevation of 4200 feet.
Before Herrmann York was a winery, some enterprising folks (headed by Devin Cohen and Craig Suveg) were working on bringing recognition to Yucaipa as a wine growing region. Vines in the ground numbered in the hundreds when the initial application was submitted to the federal government. However, while the application was under consideration, backyard farmers from across the region began planting their small vineyards in droves. Some, influenced by its ubiquity in modern California, planted Cabernet Sauvignon. When asked what they should plant, we advised others to consider Zinfandel: a California staple from another era. The vineyards are just beginning to produce fruit; a regional blend that tells the story of both new and old California seemed to be a fitting inauguration of this high-elevation region. Each year, we plan to ferment various vineyards separately and pay close attention to how different varieties, soils, and elevations affect the character of the wine. Ultimately, we plan to produce a wine of this kind for many years to come, grateful for the backyard farmers who walk their vines every day.
Grapes farmed by Agustine Olvera and crew. Wine raised by Herrmann York.
A white wine from the Palomino grape, produced from 100-year-old, own rooted, unirrigated bush vines in Fontana California.
The soil is sandy loam of granite alluvium from the south side of the San Gabriel Mountain range.
The fruit was quickly foot tread, then immediately bucketed into the press. It spontaneously fermented in old French oak barrels and was dry in about one month. After malolactic conversion was complete, we racked the wine and added 30 mg/l of sulfur. The wine aged for 10 months in old French oak.
144 cases produced.
This wine was picked on August 15th and 16th, 2023.
Lopez Ranch is planted in the Cucamonga Valley at an elevation of 1200 feet. Once a part of the Rancho San Bernardino, the property is now owned by a multi-national holding company and leased by the Galleano family, who carries out the farming and harvesting of the vines. Every year, warehouses and housing tracts close in on it from all directions. One day, and perhaps soon, it will be gone.
Palomino is rare in California, as it is in the rest of the world. Add to that the fact that this vineyard is own-rooted, unirrigated, and over 100 years old, and you get a singular wine, indeed. One that is a strange and beautiful asset to southern California wine history. Each year we narrow in on our technique. There are no major changes in how we produce it. Though many claim Palomino is a neutral grape, this vineyard, at least, produces a wine that has a rich character and an unmistakable typicity; it needs little coaxing to reward you.
Grapes farmed by Jeff Newton and crew. Wine raised by Herrmann York.
A red wine made from young Grenache and Tempranillo vines, grown in Little Rock, California at an elevation of 3000 feet.
The soil is sandy loam of granite alluvium from the north side of the San Gabriel Mountain range.
The fruit was picked on two separate days at the end of August. Both varieties were fermented separately with 50% whole clusters under a blanket of crushed fruit. The maceration was short: four days for the Tempranillo and 6 for the Grenache. Both wines completed their fermentation in old French oak barrels after being pressed. After malolactic conversion was complete, we racked the wine and added 30 mg/l of sulfur. The wine aged for 7 months in old French oak.
288 cases produced.
This wine was picked on August 21st (Tempranillo) and August 30th (Grenache).
Rock Farm is an approximately 30-acre vineyard planted in 2021 in Little Rock, California, which is located in the Antelope Valley of the California High Desert AVA. Joshua Trees break up rows in this warm, dry, and windy vineyard, populated with varieties that love the heat: Zinfandel, Alicante Bouschet, Grenache, Syrah, Tanat, Tempranillo, Clairette, and others.
The Yorks of Herrmann York both grew up in the High Desert. When we began making wine commercially in 2020, we operated out of a space in Lancaster, not terribly far from our home town. It certainly felt similar. This is an unlikely place for wine. It's quite hot, dry, and remote. But after four years of making wines from the granite sands of western Mojave, we can now see (and smell and taste) the common character of desert reds. This wine has, likely, the clearest expression of the dusty, herbaceous and bright red-fruited character we discovered in our first wine from these sands. As a practice, we don't adjust the chemistry of our fruit or wines, which poses a challenge with fruit grown in hotter climates. This is not a long-living wine. It does, however, charm. It has nothing to hide, but somehow it's still mysterious.
Grapes farmed by Agustine Olvera and crew. Wine raised by Herrmann York.
A red wine from the Zinfandel grape, produced from 100-year-old, own rooted, unirrigated bush vines in Fontana California.
The soil is sandy loam of granite alluvium from the south side of the San Gabriel Mountain range.
The fruit was destemmed and spontaneously fermented in upturned old, French oak barriques. We turned the fermenting must by hand twice a day. After a month, we pressed the wine and racked it to old French oak barrels. It took one year to go dry. We added 20 mg/l of sulfur two weeks before bottling. The wine has a listed alcohol of 14% by volume.
44 cases produced.
This wine was picked on July 29th, 2022.
Lopez Ranch is planted in the Cucamonga Valley at an elevation of 1200 feet. Once a part of the Rancho San Bernardino, the property is now owned by a multi-national holding company and leased by the Galleano family, who carries out the farming and harvesting of the vines. Every year, warehouses and housing tracts close in on it from all directions. One day, and perhaps soon, it will be gone.
Usually, our wines are on the lighter side, stylistically. Lopez Ranch Zinfandel is the exception. Especially in 2022. This was the last year of a decade-long drought. The summer was brutally and consistently hot with little relief at night. As a result, the grapes were fully ripe in July, a full 4-6 weeks before we typically harvest them. What's more: they already had a potential alcohol of over 14%. We leaned into the concentration to produce a Zinfandel against which we could measure our assumptions about ripeness, proper harvest timing, and stylistic constraints we'd set for ourselves. The result is a wine that stands out among the cuvees of its vintage, but also among the 60-some wines we've made to this point. The greatest lesson learned was that Lopez Ranch, and Zinfandel in general, has almost unlimited stylistic potential, but each vineyard (or region) asks to be made a certain way; you can only see this way when you turn the dials up and down over the course of years, so to speak. This wine helped us see the power of ripeness, and while vintage conditions were ultimately responsible for the wine's concentration, it has helped us realize the perfect ripeness for this vineyard may be a tad higher than we'd assumed.