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Your special invitation to taste our Alta California Collection

This quarter, we've focused our search on just one area: the northern California wine corridor established under the Spanish mission network in the 1700s. This selection of wines from California’s historic Alta California regions recalls the illustrious history of winemaking in the US, as well as its bright future.

“Will they hate this?” we wondered in June of 2020.

We had just finished sourcing our first ever American Collection, a group of six small batch bottles not widely available outside of their home states. It was – like everything we do at the Partnership – an experiment; we couldn’t be sure how members – so used to our small batch foreign wines – would receive a domestic collection.

Yet, members loved it – particularly the Washington State tempranillo and the Happy Canyon cabernet.

As we begin to navigate out of what has been a difficult year for everyone, we wanted to show our support for our winemakers and growers here at home...

In the spirit of supporting the little-known winemakers of the US, we bring to you the Bonner Private Wine Partnership's Alta California Collection.

We're proud to support these winemakers and growers who are so passionate about what they do... And we're very excited to share these wines and their stories with you.

Simply scroll down to view the entire collection in more detail and order yours today.

Cheers,

Will Bonner

What's included in the Alta California collection...

Your Bottle of 2019 Edict Pinot Noir 

On California’s “North Coast,” the Anderson Valley funnels fog and wind inland from the Pacific Ocean to patchwork of redwood forests, vineyards and pot farms. The wine culture – mostly Alsatian with grapes like reisling, gewurztraminer, pinot gris – traveled to the area with European immigrants seeking gold in the 1840s. The pot came with hippies fleeing San Francisco in the 70s.

Pinot noir didn’t arrive until the 1980s. Most pinot types can’t tolerate the Valley’s hot days and cold, misty nights (the temperature differential can swing as much as 50 degrees). Only the famous Dijon clones (115, Swan, Pommard) introduced in the 80s by French oenologists and UC Davis graduates ripen reliably enough. 

They say you should look to the local fare to find a wine’s best pairing. So true for this light 2019. Fish and veggies from the grill, a turkey burger even, will go well with the notes of cherry pie and spice. Drink now.

Your Bottle of 2016 Ovis Cabernet Sauvignon (93 pt)

You could easily mistake Clay Shannon for a sheep farmer, especially if you visit his High Valley vineyards (northern CA, east of Mendicino) at shearing season (right about now). A bleating mass (watched over by several Great Pyrenees dogs) crowds around a temporary trailer that emanates a low hum. Clay and his farm hands are inside with electric clippers – the best shearers take 2 minutes a sheep, lifting the wool in large sheets you can hang around your shoulders like a shawl.

The wool is incidental. Clay’s sheep provide natural weed control and fertilization for his vines, reducing need for machinery and chemicals. Thus the name “Ovis,” from the Latin for sheep, for this 2016 cabernet sauvignon. 

The 2016 harvest ran late. The resulting grapes were few but fat, producing but 1618 cases of this 93-point monster of a wine. Notes of black current, chocolate, cherry and toasted hazelnut. Drink 2021-2026

Your Bottle of 2019 Landy Sonoma Coast Chardonnay (1,000 ft.)

Heading north from San Francisco on the two-lane coastal highway 1. Past the fishing villages of Bodega Bay, redwoods and sycamores. The fog is often so heavy you slow to crawl while navigating the twists and turns that threaten to toss your car off a cliff. If the scenery seems familiar it was along this sleepy marine strip that Hitchcock filmed The Birds and John Carpenter shot The Fog. 

At the town of Jenner, the Russian River flows into the Pacific. Head inland to the Russian River Valley. If you hate gaudy CA chards, the valley’s Middle Reach – the area closest to the river – is where you’ll find the crisp, earthy chardonnay for you.

This 2019 came from a vineyard above the cloud line (1,000 ft.) where the grapes stayed cool to produce a chardonnay with as many twists, turns, chasms, and cliffs, as the coast itself. Don’t fall in. Leave open for 40 mins then place in fridge for 15 mins to chill. Pair with mushrooms, pork, fish, and popcorn. Drink 2021-2025

Your Bottle of 2018 Verdon Estate N.3 Blueline Vineyards Red Blend

Yes, it’s Napa (the first of two in this collection). But with an Argentine twist. Note the 30% malbec here – like Bordeaux of old, but the experience is more like a great Amarone. Malbec often grows poorly in California. Finding it here is a treat.

We have winemaker Kevin Morrisey to thank. Having gone to UC Davis relatively later in life (35 years old), Kevin nonetheless got off at a sprint, working first at Château Petrus (known for its $8,000 bottles), then at Stags Leap for close to a decade. 

This 2018 is begging for a steak and maybe a piece of hard cheese. You’ll find notes of plum, toasted almond, dark chocolate and even (some claim) eucalyptus (don’t ask us – our palate wasn’t good enough to find it). Swirl it around for a moment and gaze at its fine legs. And be sure to savor the long finish. Drink 2021 to 2028.

Your Bottle of 2018 Auctioneer Cabernet Sauvignon

To compare with the previous wine, we’ve also sourced a Napa cab. But this isn’t one of those insufferable, velvet loafer Napa cabs. Trevor Sheehan, the guy who made this wine, sold his first vintage out of his car (a few barrels of cabernet from Howell Mountain, a high elevation AVA known for deep, complex reds).

In 2020 Trevor released this two-year aged cabernet as a tribute to Michael Broadbent, the 24th master of wine and the founder of auction house Christie’s wine department.

The blend has a bit of merlot to give it a long finish, plus a kick of petit verdot to plump out the body. You’ll find cassis, aniseed, and plum (thanks petit verdot) on the nose followed by a fresh spice on the palate (with maybe a hint of toast). Drink 2021 to 2028.

Your Bottle of 2018 Stolpman Vineyards Estate Grown Syrah (93 pts)

In the 1700s, the Spanish settled Santa Barbara’s Ballard Canyon as part of the mission system in what was then Alta California. Grapes arrived in 1782 (the missions supported themselves with wine sales). Syrah may have made it over at the same time. Others claim that a group of wine dorks (at least we assume they were dorks) known as the “Rhône Rangers” (probably dorks) brought it over.

In any case, they were onto something, those Rhône Rangers. Ballard Canyon’s syrah rivals any in southern France. This 90+ point 2018 has been compared favorably to St. Joseph. It’s like walking through the garden of a ruined stone church after a heavy rain. Stone. Mortar. Rose and fresh berries. A hint of smoke in the air.

The freshness likely comes from the fact that vignerons Ruben and Maria Solorzano insisted on hand harvesting at night (Ruben’s methods have earned him the nickname “the wine whisperer” from Wine Enthusiast). The vines were also dry farmed (no irrigation) forcing the roots to dig deep into the limestone soil to survive the hot dry days and cold dry nights. If you like the balanced acidity here, that would be why. Drink 2021 to 2026. Cellar a bottle if you can.

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