| Founder Wayne Hogue purchased 21 acres from Joe Werle in the late seventies, planting the first vines on the steep hillsides in 1981. With seven acres now planted to grapes, The Terraces property is divided nearly equally between Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel, growing both varietals in shallow volcanic loam over a deep subsoil of tufa, a pale volcanic ash that functions hydrologically in a similar manner to limestone. The main blocks of vines are terraced steeply between 300 and 400-foot elevation. Our planting scheme is unique in that each terrace has two rows of vines, Zinfandel on the outside and Cabernet on the inside. The Terraces Zinfandel clone traces its roots to the vines planted on the Quarry Vineyard property in the 1800's. This clone, known as the 'Werle' clone produces an open cluster with small berries, which is recognized and coveted for its intense color and distinctive aromas and flavors. Cabernet clones were selected from Caymus and Grace Family Vineyards. The first crop went to Caymus, but then recalled Hogue, "Charlie Wagner said, you should be making your own wine." The first Terraces wines produced an '85 Zinfandel and an '86 Cabernet both made at Caymus. Construction of our winery was complete in 1991, since then all wines have been made by Wayne Hogue and Timm Crull. Current production of small handcrafted lots is less than 1000 cases. Shallow and wide, open top fermentors with rigorous yet gentle punch down regimes contribute to the high extraction found in the wines. Both the Cabernet and the Zinfandel have won critical acclaim over the years. |
