California I’m coming home
I’m going to see the folks I dig
I’ll even kiss a Sunset pig
California I’m coming home
Joni Mitchell
Broc around the clock
Broc Cellars makes natural wine the way Chris believes delivers the best wines for the best value. The winery uses only organically farmed grapes and works with farmers to achieve this. In his own vineyard (the recently purchased Fox Hill Vineyard in Mendocino) cover crops are planted to boost soil health, water retention, and biodiversity. Sheep help manage crop cover and fertilize the soil. Harvest is early for more healthy grapes that retain their good acidity. This often results in lower-alcohol wines. The lower brix (sugar content) at harvest allows for easier fermentations. Only native yeasts take the ambient ferments through their course, and sulphur is never used during fermentation but a small dose at bottling may be added depending on the wine, the style, or the vintage.
Love White is a fun blend where the whole is greater than the sum of the several parts. Various vineyards, mix of altitudes, expositions, and soil types come into play. If you like quirky then a mash-up of 50% Picpoul, 21% Vermentino, 14% Clairette, 12% Grenache Blanc & 3% Chenin Blanc should press your quirk buttons. Picpoul and Vermentino originate from the Fox Hill Vineyard, now owned by Chris Brockway.
All the grapes are harvested manually and the whole clusters are foot-stomped with a short maceration followed by gentle pressing, Ambient fermentation with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel with the wine undergoing malolactic conversion. Elevage for 8 months in a combination of oak barrels and steel and the wine is unfiltered and unfined with no added sulphur during vinification.
The varieties in this Rhône/Languedoc inspired blend have changed over the years, but the wine remains rooted in its complexity, light aromatics and uplifting body. Beautiful flavours of green melon, fresh kiwi, bright citrus and wet rocks and an attractive saltiness on the finish. Enjoy with Hog Island oysters or their UK equivalent.
The Love Red has a similar relaxed Med vibe to its white counterpart. All grapes are once again farmed using organic practices and come from mostly old head-trained vines. The mix here is 56% Carignan, 22% Syrah, 12% Grenache Noir, 10% Valdiguié harvested early to highlight the fruit and preserve their natural acidity. The Carignan and Valdiguié both destemmed and whole cluster for the rest with a semi-carbonic maceration. The resultant red is matured for 6 months in used barriques with some stainless tanks. Ripe wild berries on the nose, rhubarb, fresh cut herbs and blackberry on the palate. This year’s Love Red is more dynamic than in past vintages, with a subtle touch of tannin and pleasant structure to pair with food, while remaining light and fresh at the same time.
Wirth-er Original
Wirth Ranch is planted on steep-sloped, iron-rich volcanic soils on the western edge of the Solano County Green Valley AVA. The 85% Zinfandel, 15% Petite Sirah grapes are picked by hand and sorted with 80% whole cluster going into large tanks and 20% destemmed on top. Ambient indigenous yeast fermentation occurs in open top large stainless steel with 10 days on skins and twice daily pump overs before ageing 10 months in neutral oak barriques. No filtration, no fining and 5 ppm of sulphites added (total S02 is 10 ppm).
Zinfandel is a notable part of California’s history, introduced during the Gold Rush. It is also a foundational grape in Broc Cellar’s history, and this vineyard has been harvested since 2002. They love older expressions of California Zinfandel – lighter styles with vibrant acidity and inviting fruit, before it became too overly ripe and high in alcohol. The winemaking thus restores Zinfandel to its origins of a pleasing table wine. Fruit-forward nose with hints of spice. Lively with pronounced acidity in a concentrated body with a beautiful tannic structure. The wine also exudes notes of cloves and cherries. It would be a Cardinal Zin* not to enjoy this wine (*with apologies to Randall Graham of Bonny Doon).
Fox Hill is one of the most unique vineyards in California today. What makes the 60-acre parcel so special is the 25 Italian grape varieties and several Spanish varieties that call it home. Fox Hill is a CCOF certified organic vineyard owned and farmed by Broc Cellars. The vineyard came under their ownership in 2023 after a long partnership sourcing Italian varieties from Fox Hill for nearly a decade. It is very rare to find such a wide variety in one place anywhere in Northern California.
Fox Hill is nestled on the Talmage Bench, an uplifted former riverbed from the Russian River. Bunches of pennyroyal are found scattered among the 20+ year-old vines. Predominantly mineral-driven river rock, and pebbly sandstone, with large quartz pieces.
The Sangiovese grapes are manually harvested, destemmed, ferment one week before pressing in stainless tanks. The wine is then aged in neutral French oak barriques for 10 months and bottled without further addition. An example of Old World influence meeting California terroir, the Fox Hill Sangiovese is bursting with food-friendly acidity and plentiful dark red fruit, maintaining a playful intensity and tannin structure that can handle light ageing.
Lo-Fi
Spinning the discs
Lo-Fi is a partnership between two lifelong friends who believe in hand crafted honest wines that are made for everyday drinking. Wines to be enjoyed not to be collected – unlike their vinyl collection. Mike Roth believes in neutral barrels, native yeasts, little to no sulphur additions, and no adjustment of pH. He loves whole cluster fermentation, adores carbonic maceration and embraces a nothing-added, nothing taken away philosophy that gives birth to wines that are young, vibrant and alive. But in all reality Lo-Fi is less about what it is and more about what it is not.
Although the DJ-vigneron remains the same, we have changed the playlist. We begin with a skin-contact Albariño.
Less than twenty miles from the Pacific Ocean, North Canyon Vineyard (where the Albariño grapes are sourced) sits along the Santa Maria river bench in a secluded canyon that provides some protection from the region’s infamous maritime influences. Located a bit off the direct valley, temperatures are often a few degrees warmer, and fog tends to arrive later and burn quickly. A variety of rootstocks and clones are planted in calcareous clays, which differ from the valley’s defining marine mixture of ancient sea bed, clay loam and sand.
Grapes are destemmed and the skins macerate with juice for two weeks with daily punchdowns in 1.5 tonne stainless fermenters. Ambient fermentation with indigenous yeasts, malo happens naturally and the must is finally pressed into 228 litre used barrels to mature for 10 months. No filtration, no fining and just 25 ppm of sulphites added before bottling. Floral nose (peach blossom), exotic fruits (papaya, passionfruit) in the mouth and a pink grapefruit freshness on the finish with a little hint of bitter orange. It is the Grand Funk Railroad (whoever they are) of Albariños, a sunshine twist and a half on the classic green wine.
The Lo-Fi dudes must have eaten a cauldron of octopus recently, because another Galician-style wine has appeared in their (and our) portfolio. This is a blend of Mencia & Arinto called Bebida Morada. There is nothing not to love about this. This comes from vines are planted on the Santa Maria Bench, which itself is made up of alluvial soils. These soils are formed of sediment deposited by flowing water thousands of years ago, and contain particles of clay, silt, sand and gravel. They are extremely fertile because of their medium to fine textures; yet they are shallow in depth which allows for a great growing medium. The rocky benchland provides excellent drainage.
The grapes are 100% destemmed and fermented together in closed-top 1500-gallon stainless steel fermenters with indigenous yeasts. Malo occurs naturally fermentation and maturation is in 228-litre barrels for ten months before bottling without filtration or fining and just 30 ppm of SO2 added at bottling. The floral nose leads to vibrant notes of cranberries and raspberries on the palate. Hints of fig leaves and other vegetal characteristics give it a classic “crunchiness”. Bebida Morada means “purple drink.” It feels like a Cabernet Franc nouveau, if such as thing existed.
Speaking of Cab Franc – or, strictly speaking, Cabernet Franc (80%) x Gamay (20%), the Lo-Fi Santa Barbara Cabernet Franc is a combo of fruit from three vineyards: Coquelicot (in Los Olivos on fine sandy loam – certified organic); Clos Mullet (Los Alamos – Chamis shaley loam); Oak Savanna (also Los Olivos)
All the vineyards employ organic and biodynamic viticultural practices. With 100% whole cluster grapes and after eight days of carbo, Mike presses this out and finishes it as pure juice, describing it as more of ‘an advanced rosé’ than anything else. Six months ageing ensues in a mix of concrete egg; demi-muid (500l) and 228 litre barrels. Minimal sulphur is added at bottling only (33 mg/L total SO2). On the lighter side of the Cabernet Franc spectrum with juicy dark fruit – cherries and blueberries and fresh berry fruit with notes of green bell pepper. Serve chilled!
Clos Mullet, is Mike’s ‘home vineyard’ that he and his wife tend together in Los Alamos, Santa Barbara. When asked about the dubious moniker Mike writes: “short stakes in front, long stakes in back. Like a mullet haircut. Business in front, party in the back.” The high-density vineyard was planted without grafting by massale selection into shale rich loam with Gamay in front of the house and Cabernet Franc and Trousseau behind. All trellising materials were recycled from another vineyard that was ripped up and the vines are trained double guyot. The tight spacing required Mike to alter his tractor and design a special sprayer. Despite the high yields, wines made from this vineyard have a penchant for Campari-like astringency and so Mike approaches cellar work a little more gingerly, destemming 100% of the fruit picked there.
The 100% destemmed Gamay is fermented in 2 tonne, open-topped steel tanks with one pump over per day. After 10-days maceration, the wine passes through vertical, perforated press into tank for settling before transfer into 600-litre, neutral French oak demi-muids (at least four years old) where it ages. The wine is racked for the first time in February at which point the first addition of sulphur is made. A second racking occurs shortly before bottling in the spring without any additional sulphites added. This Gamay feels more Auvergne-like than your classic glouglou version. Strawberries, dark bitter cherries and plums and a certain earthiness – very much the signature flavours of the Clos Mullet vineyard.
2023 Broc Cellars Love White
2022 Broc Cellars Love Red
2022 Broc Cellars Wirth Ranch Zinfandel
2022 Broc Cellars Fox Hill Sangiovese
2022 Lo-Fi Albariño
2022 Lo-Fi Bebida Morada
2023 Lo-Fi Santa Barbara Cabernet Franc
2022 Lo-Fi Clos Mullet Gamay Noir