Herrmann York
Garrett York
Inland Empire
This is a burgeoning new winery in one of the youngest growing regions in America, namely the Inland Valley east of Los Angeles. Sometimes affectionally referred to as Inland Empire, these grapes are coming from places that look a lot like Joshua Tree: Riverside, San Bernardino, and Yucaipa Valley. A desert, in my imagination, but nevertheless a place that's completely challenged my perception of what can be grown where.
2023 "Lopez Ranch White"
VARIETY : Palomino
TERROIR :
Fruit purchased from the Poor Ranch in Hopland, Mendocino
Sandy soil
Dry Farmed
10-40 year old vines
Organic since its inception in the 1970s.
HARVEST : hand picked
VINIFICATION :
Whole clusters in raw oak barrel, barrel rolled for ten days.
Pressed after ten days and back in raw oak barrel for a year.
Unfined, Unfiltered.
2023 "Los Empleados"
VARIETY : Red and White Zinfandel
TERROIR : The soils across the region are quite similar: predominantly decomposed granite from the San Gabriel (Lopez and Rock Farm) and San Bernardino (Snodgrass Vineyard) mountain ranges.
HARVEST : Grapes farmed by Jeff Newton and crew (Rock Farm), Agustine Olvera and crew (Lopez Ranch), and Donna Snodgrass and Cesar Roldan (Snodgrass Vineyard). Wine raised by Herrmann York.
VINIFICATION : The majority of the fruit was pressed, then spontaneously fermented in old French oak. It was dry in about a month and was then racked and aged for 7 months in old French oak.
One barrel of red wine was blended into the white Zinfandel after malolactic conversion was complete. This red wine was vinified 50% whole-cluster under a layer of destemmed fruit for about 10 days. It then aged for 7 months in an old French oak barrel before being blended. Thirty mg/l of sulfur were added to the blend after malolactic conversion was complete. The alcohol is 12% by volume.
2023 "Rock Farm Red"
VARIETY : Grenache/Tempranillo
TERROIR : The soil is sandy loam of granite alluvium from the north side of the San Gabriel Mountain range. The soil is sandy loam of granite alluvium from the north side of the San Gabriel Mountain range. The fruit was picked on two separate days at the end of August.
HARVEST : Grapes farmed by Jeff Newton and crew. Wine raised by Herrmann York.
VINIFICATION :
Both varieties were fermented separately with 50% whole clusters under a blanket of crushed fruit. The maceration was short: four days for the Tempranillo and 6 for the Grenache. Both wines completed their fermentation in old French oak barrels after being pressed. After malolactic conversion was complete, we racked the wine and added 30 mg/l of sulfur. The wine aged for 7 months in old French oak.
2022 "Lopez Ranch Red"
VARIETY : Zinfandel
TERROIR : Lopez Ranch is planted in the Cucamonga Valley at an elevation of 1200 feet. Once a part of the Rancho San Bernardino, the property is now owned by a multi-national holding company and leased by the Galleano family, who carries out the farming and harvesting of the vines. Every year, warehouses and housing tracts close in on it from all directions. One day, and perhaps soon, it will be gone.
HARVEST : Grapes farmed by Agustine Olvera and crew. Wine raised by Herrmann York. A red wine from the Zinfandel grape, produced from 100-year-old, own rooted, unirrigated bush vines in Fontana California.
VINIFICATION : The fruit was destemmed and spontaneously fermented in upturned old, French oak barriques. We turned the fermenting must by hand twice a day. After a month, we pressed the wine and racked it to old French oak barrels. It took one year to go dry. We added 20 mg/l of sulfur two weeks before bottling. The wine has a listed alcohol of 14% by volume.