When selecting vineyards, you might say that we are a bit particular, obsessive even. We have extremely high expectations from each of our sources. After all we only make one wine from each varietal. There is no room for a “good” site or a “good” vineyard manager. We want the best and will accept nothing less. Even in California’s hallowed land of Pinot & Chardonnay, finding the perfect triumvirate (site, planting material, and vineyard management) is not just difficult it is a rarity. We are very fortunate to have found these exceptional sources on which Salinia is based. As our name indicates, the Saline environment in which the grapes grow govern every aspect of each wines character. From the daily marine influence of fog and wind to the soil made up of prehistoric sea bed, our wines are inextricably linked to the ocean.
Within ten miles of the coast line, the three vineyards sit at an elevation of 800 feet on the second coastal ridge. The small town of Occidental is tucked into the valley directly to the West. The cold wind and fog travel up the valley that connects Freestone and Occidental flowing over our vineyard sites and then down into Green Valley. These are the conditions that make Heintz Ranch and WE Bottoms so special.