Dierberg Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley

I was lucky to be one of the very first wineries to craft a Pinot Noir from the meticulously farmed Dierberg Vineyard. The vineyard was planted in 1997 and has predominately sandy loam soils and southern exposures. Rolling hills sit on a windswept mesa that is caressed by the maritime breeze from the nearby Pacific Ocean. My first release from the Dierberg Vineyard was in 2001.

Wines from this vineyard always shout “Santa Maria sunshine!’ to me. There are rows in two blocks that are designated for Flying Goat – one with clone 115 and one with the classic clone 13, most always referred to as the Martini clone.

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Solomon Hills Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley

Located just east of highway 101 near the city of Santa Maria, the Solomon Hills vineyard is the most western and coolest vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley winegrowing region. It is owned and farmed by the same team that manages the famed Bien Nacido vineyard nearby. The vineyard is split in two by Clark Avenue, and the soil profile is shallow, well-drained sandy loam.

Grapes for Flying Goat’s vineyard designated Pinot Noir from Solomon Hills come from a one-acre block on a southwest facing slope to the south side of Clark Avenue. The block is just visible from Highway 101, just downhill from the water tower. Clone 113 was chosen for its aromatic, unique profile.
The vineyard section to the north of Clark supplies the grapes for Goat Bubbles. The Flying Goat "block" is in fact a very long single row of clone 23 Pinot Noir, a clone often used in sparkling wines. The grapes are picked early - at about 19 Brix - when the sugars and acids are in balance. The early flavor development and lively acidity of clone 23 is what Bubbles need!

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Nielson Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley

Planted in 1964, the Nielson Vineyard is the oldest commercial vineyard in Santa Barbara County. It is located 15 miles from the Pacific Ocean and comprised of Chamise and Elder shaley loams. When I went searching for a vineyard source for Pinot Gris, I really liked the old vine characteristics from the Nielson vineyard, which is part of the Byron winery estate.

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Rancho Santa Rosa Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills

I helped to develop this property when I was the winemaker at Foley Estates, so it is very dear to me. Situated in the heart of the Sta. Rita Hills appellation, the 240-acre estate vineyard is sub-divided into 59 different mini-blocks, all planted to a varietal, rootstock and clone that best suits the soil, microclimate and aspect of that particular location.

I chose Block 16 for Flying Goat. It is a small two-acre block planted in 2000, on a hillside towards the top and eastern edge of the vineyard. Tight 8x4 spacing, 1361 vines to the acre and SO4 rootstock are utilized due to the Tierra loam soil and position of this block. The Pinot Noir is clone 667, and this always results in one of my most opulent wines. The block is cooled by the usual Sta. Rita Hills morning fogs and afternoon breezes, but is protected from the worst of the winds by a neighboring hillside, without which the leaves would not stay on the vine!

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Rio Vista Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills

Rio Vista is the easternmost vineyard and the gateway to Sta. Rita Hills. I remember getting a letter from the Thorne's, the owners of the property and then figuring out that it was the vineyard that could be seen from Highway 246, across the Santa Ynez River! There are three distinctively different vineyards at Rio Vista, and I’m fortunate to get Pinot Noir from each. The property was planted and is meticulously farmed by Buonna Terra Farming. Planted in 2000, Flying Goat was one of the first to release a Rio Vista designated wine in 2003. Since then, we have reserved additional rows and now receive clones 2A, 115, 667 and 777 from the vineyard. We now offer three clonal-designate wines from Rio Vista - clone 2a, clone 667 and our Dijon clone blend.

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Salisbury Vineyard, San Luis Obispo County

Planted in 2000, this may be one of the most western vineyards in the region. Owned by John Salisbury, the vineyards are on a series of slopes in the Avila Valley of San Luis Obispo County. Just one mile from the ocean, a gap in the coastal hills allows overnight fog that burns off by late morning. The same gap channels a cooling breeze that picks up mid-afternoon. These two effects keep the average temperature around 60 degrees, (from 50 to 72), ensuring a long ripening season while maintaining acidity. (This is really cool climate territory!)

The Flying Goat blocks are some of the highest in the vineyards, and are on a west-facing slope. My first harvest from this vineyard was in 2005 (clone 2A), and we added clone 115 with the 2006 vintage.

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