Thirty four years ago I began to plant a small vineyard with the intention of making wine for Shabbos and Yom Tov. I had been making my own kiddush wine for years and the site of the vineyard, where I live, was promising. The Santa Cruz Mountain wine growing region of California, though small, has long been known for its quality wines. The vineyard is situated on a south-facing slope surrounded by oak and redwood forest looking down the valley to the Pacific Ocean. It had been planted with wine grapes in the 1880s, but the original vines were pulled up during prohibition.

Four Gates is perhaps the smallest kosher winery in the country. I grow Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc on 3.5 acres. The grapes are certified organic by the CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers). In addition, the vines are not irrigated, so the small yields are concentrated in flavor. Also, the wine is estate bottled. This means that one person has overseen the quality of both the growing of the grapes and the making of the wine.

The winery itself is likewise a one-man operation. Far from being a modern computer-monitored factory, it's more like an old fashioned one-room school house with me teaching all the grades; all the various pieces of equipment and barrels sit around the room like children of different ages waiting for their turn.

The wines themselves benefit from the small scale and individual attention and from the unique qualities of the Santa Cruz Mountain environment. The Chardonnay is a full-bodied white wine aged in American oak barrels. It will complement flavorful dishes like roast chicken or baked salmon or Orah's spicy baked tofu. The Merlot is a substantial red wine. It will complement a holiday brisket or a roast.

We sanctify the Sabbath with wine. But only after a process of elevation, from the vineyard to the cellar to the table Friday night, can we recite kiddush over a full cup. During the week we labor using our strengths and individual gifts to transform the world into a place of goodness, purpose and delight. It is with this intention that I grow grapes and make wine.

Dear loyal and new friends of Four Gates,

                                                                   The sale of the new releases for this year took place on January 12.  The wines sold quickly and currently there are no wines available.  It appears that the wines have been shipped and should arrive at the end of next week.  California sooner.

                                          LIBRARY WINE AUCTION

On Sunday, January 19, there will begin an auction of Library Wines from 2014 beginning at 1:00 p.m. EST, 10 a.m. PST.  The auction will last one week and final bids will come in beginning at those same times on Sunday, January 26.  

There will be six bottles each of:

2014 Merlot

2014 Merlot MSC

2014 Cabernet Sauvignon

2014 Frére Robaire

Additionally there will be four magnums of 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon.

All bottles will be auctioned individually as single lots.

Further instructions as to how the auction will operate will appear at the site.

You will be able to access the auction through the Shopify link below.

  https://four-gates-winery.myshopify.com/

Thank you for your interest in and enthusiasm for Four Gates wines,

Benyamin