Our First Wine
The story of how we came to make our own wine begins in Fall 2001. Greg and Steve were both working as cellar rats at Landmark Wines in Kenwood, CA. Landmark was one of the first customers for Kanzler Vineyard grapes. Steve wanted to learn the winery side of the business and decided the best way to do so was to work in one. Landmark was Greg’s first wine industry job after graduating from Fresno State.
After harvest was nearly complete, with most of the grapes picked, crushed and the juice safely in barrel, Greg and Steve decided to put the knowledge just gained to use and take a crack at making their own wine. The long, warm Fall of 2001 allowed the “seconds” (second growth grape clusters, usually unripe, undesirable and left on the vine) to mature and ripen. Steve bought a French oak half-barrel, and he and Greg managed to pick and crush enough seconds to fill it.
That half-barrel yielded 12 cases of wine, and to our delight it turned out to be wonderful. It showed great ripe cherry, raspberry and strawberry fruit, tannins softened by the long hang time, good acidity, and a great nose -- signature characteristics of the vineyard. We continued to make small quantities every year for friends and family which were well received. So, in 2004 we decided to hold back ten percent of the crop and make our own wine under our own label.
Because of the high demand, Kanzler Vineyards Pinot Noir is tightly allocated and only members of our mailing list can purchase wine directly from the winery. If you are interested in purchasing our wines, click here.
