Curtis & David started in 2000. This all began as two wine-drinking buddies, learning winemaking as "cellar rats" at a local winery. We are now one of nearly 30 wineries in HumboldtCounty.
We both work in local emergency services. Curt is a Firefighter an IHBA rescue diver / firefighter. Dave is a Police Officer and spent years running around in ground & air ambulances. We're both ski patrollers with extensive backgrounds in Rescue and EMS. We like to think that we have a pretty safe winery.
We produce about 1000 cases of wine, depending on the vintage. From year to year we include wines from vineyards that we feel are exceptional. These have included Carignane, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Petite Syrah. Our grapes come from older vineyards in Mendocino and Napa Counties. In sourcing grapes, we look for good people first and always find exceptional fruit that makes great wine.
Humboldt County (especially near the coast) provides unique opportunities for wine making. Our winery is located at 1800 Q Street, in Arcata. The winery is a former mill. This location provides a convenient facility + favorable conditions for slower fermentation and easy barrel aging.
We do all the winemaking in Arcata. The only thing we don't have is a chateau.
Because we don't have hot weather, fermentation goes much slower. This provides excellent color and flavor extraction. While some of our grapes come from organically grown vineyards, we employ mostly conventional winemaking methods, using a combination of natural and cultured yeast and ferment in open bins. The grapes go through extended maceration before pressing. They age in a combination of American and European barrels and are complete in 18 to 24 months. Our wines are not fined or filtered.
