Jack McGinley Vineyard, Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara

What is striking about McGinley Vineyard is the profound lack of vigor with which the typically energetic vines grow–a direct result of the poor soils there. Many sections have only a foot and a half of topsoil, beneath which is fractured shale, and in one block, serpentine rock. The wines from these poor soils are amazingly flavorful because the vine’s energy is concentrated on maturing its fruit, rather than on producing leaves.

We’ve sourced Syrah clone 174 here since 2002 and Viognier clone 1 since 2012.