Winemaking

Mother Nature makes a different offering every year, but as a winemaker, you only get thirty to forty vintages in a lifetime. I begin each growing season with an open mind and optimistic that I will be able to make the best wine possible with whatever Mother Nature hands me, whether they are perfect grapes or ones that I have to coddle into becoming great wines.

I make wines that are approachable enough to drink on their own, yet sufficiently complex to enjoy with a variety of foods. I really enjoy deeply colored red wines because they usually express intense aromas, silky textures and a rich mouthfeel.

I like to balance the elements of acidity, tannin and mouthfeel. The manifestation of that balance is determined by the varietal makeup of the wine and the location of the fruit source. Ageability is not one of my primary concerns although well-balanced wines generally show exceptional longevity.

My early days at Cinnabar were devoted to producing estate-grown Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet and Chardonnay from our vineyards in the hills above Saratoga. As our fruit sources evolved beyond the estate and the Santa Cruz Mountains, we wanted the new wines to “speak freely”, or in other words, convey their own optimum balance.

Our estate vineyards were sold in 2007, but we remain committed to producing wine from the Santa Cruz Mountains, Central Coast, and other renowned regions by combining intensely flavored fruit from artisan growers with minimalist winemaking practices.

Whether they are situated in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Monterey, Santa Lucia Highlands, Paso Robles, Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Clements Hills above Lodi, or Lake County’s Red Hills, each vineyard has its own variation of Mediterranean climate that is defined by unique combinations of temperature, precipitation and maritime influence. Soils also vary by location, but more importantly, these vineyards are farmed by growers who are committed to producing the finest grapes possible.

My assistant Alejandro Aldama and I are involved in every aspect of the winemaking process beginning with our year-round commitment to vineyards owned by growers with whom we’ve had longstanding relationships. Each cultural decision that we make — whether it is winter pruning, shoot thinning or leaf removal in the spring, crop thinning during the summer, or irrigation at various times of the season — has a profound effect on wine quality. Furthermore, we crush and ferment grapes with state-of-the-art equipment in facilities that are located near our vineyard sources and possess infrastructures capable of producing world-class wines. Finally, we age our wines in the finest French, American and Hungarian oak barrels.

From my perspective, winemaking is as much of a lifestyle choice as it is a career, and I am proud to be part of an organization that was founded on a never-ending commitment to produce quality wines for our families, friends and customers.

Winemaker George Troquato