F r o m T h e F a m i l y O f S i l v e r O a k C e l l a r s
TWOMEY IS ABOUT DISCOVERY Our family established Twomey Cellars to pursue the discovery of varietals in California beyond Cabernet. Twomey was founded out of generations of Duncan family entrepreneurship using the same philosophy that has directed Silver Oak since our founding in 1972: make exceptional, food-friendly wines that are deliciously drinkable upon release. We re able to apply our 40 years of winemaking experience, combined with a spirit of innovation, to create our appellation, single vineyard and estate wines. With a focus on excellence and sustainability, we source fruit from some of the best vineyard sites in California. At our wineries in Calistoga and Healdsburg, we work small to create approachable, handcrafted wines that you will enjoy with friends and family.
Daniel Baron Director of Winemaking, Silver Oak and Twomey Cellars The idea for Twomey Merlot started in 1999 when the Duncans purchased a beautiful vineyard in Napa called Soda Canyon Ranch. They originally bought the vineyard for the Cabernet Sauvignon that is blended into Silver Oak, but we discovered that the Merlot there was excellent as well. When I went to the Duncans and said I wanted to make Merlot on its own using an esoteric technique I d learned in Pomerol, they didn t hesitate. We ordered the tools from Bordeaux, and starting with the 1999 vintage began making Twomey Merlot using an ancient method known as soutirage traditionnel. This technique, which is used in the great chateaux of Pomerol and Saint-Émilion, is a way of decanting the wine from barrel to barrel with no pumping at all. It was developed before electricity, but continues to be used because of the way it preserves the aromatics of the wine and evolves and softens the tannins. One of the hallmarks of Twomey Merlot is that the moment you pour it into the glass it explodes with aroma. You can attribute that to soutirage traditionnel. Ben Cane Twomey Winemaker When I began making Pinot Noir with the Duncan family, we talked a lot about the style of wine we wanted to achieve. For all of us, the overriding principle was to create wines that express both the vintage and site in which they are grown. We agreed that if there s one wine that needs to be all about place, it s Pinot Noir. For that reason, we do everything we can to gently coax personality from the grapes; the grapes shape the wines. We use indigenous yeast, and after fermentation we use gravity to move the wines to barrel. All lots are kept separate by property, block and clone, which can mean upward of 30 to 40 lots to track in any given vintage. We let the wines stay on their lees for up to 12 months to protect the aromatics and preserve the indigenous, natural flavors. We want our Pinots to be about delicacy, not strength; about balance, texture and finesse. Each wine is an expression of one region and one vintage a place and a moment ultimately rendered in a glass.
MONUMENT TREE UKIAH 29 ANDERSON VALLEY 128 101 W N E COLUSA COUNTY S SOLANO COUNTY MENDOCINO COUNTY 1 PACIFIC OCEAN C A L I SONOMA COUNTY SONOMA COAST F O R N I A GEYSERVILLE WESTSIDE ROAD 101 HEALDSBURG ALEXANDER VALLEY WEST PIN TWOMEY HEALDSBURG RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY 128 29 CALISTOGA SANTA ROSA LAKE COUNTY CALISTOGA 29 NAPA VALLEY TWOMEY CALISTOGA OAKVILLE Silverado Trail BIEN NACIDO SANTA BARBARA COUNTY SONOMA COAST 101 PETALUMA NAPA SODA CANYON RANCH 1 101 154 MARIN COUNTY 37 SANTA BARBARA Appellations ANDERSON VALLEY Proximity to the ocean and cool nights create the perfect conditions at our Monument Tree Vineyard for our delicious Anderson Valley Pinot Noir. SONOMA COAST Home to our Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, this area is full of rocky terrain and deep-rooting vines that thrive on an extended growing season. RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY Foggy evenings, warm afternoons and sandy soil at our West Pin Vineyard conspire to create elegant and intense wines, of which our Russian River Pinot Noir is an excellent example. NAPA VALLEY A mild climate tempered by cool nights and morning fog, this renowned area is home to our Soda Canyon Ranch Vineyard, which produces our Merlot, and our Calistoga Vineyard, which is blended into our Estate Sauvignon Blanc. SANTA MARIA VALLEY Cooling breezes sweep east across Bien Nacido Vineyard from the surrounding mountains, slowing the ripening process and setting the stage for our celebrated Bien Nacido Pinot Noir.
Estate Vineyards Single Vineyards CALISTOGA napa valley Planted Acres: 11 Soil: Bale Loam Variety: Sauvignon Blanc Planted with a mixture of Sauvignon Blanc clones from California and France, our Calistoga Vineyard is partially dry-farmed with deep-rooting vines. The sandy bale loam tames the naturally vigorous nature of Sauvignon Blanc, whose fruit brings bright acidity, richness and depth to the wine. WEST PIN russian river valley Planted Acres: 9 Variety: Pinot Noir Soil: Sandy Loam Our first Pinot Noir vineyard, West Pin, is located in the Russian River Valley, where warm afternoons and cooling fog allow grapes to develop full flavor maturity over a long growing season. We also source grapes farther west, where even cooler temperatures and fine, sandy loam soils produce wines of extraordinary delicacy. OAKVILLE napa valley Planted Acres: 12.36 Soil: Silty Loam Varieties: Sauvignon Blanc Planted on the original Silver Oak Oakville Estate in the heart of the Napa Valley, this property was a dairy pasture before Silver Oak purchased it in 1972. The vineyard was planted to Sauvignon Blanc in 2010. SODA CANYON RANCH napa valley Planted Acres: 113 Soil: Gravely Loam Varieties: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec Our Merlot is sourced exclusively from our Soda Canyon Ranch Vineyard, which the Duncan family purchased in 1999. Planted to the five classic Bordeaux varieties, including French Merlot clones selected for their low yields of small, intensely flavored berries, the ranch is situated on the first bench off the Napa Valley floor, with a hilly terrain that offers the closely-spaced vinerows various sun exposures. With a mild climate tempered by cool breezes and morning fog, Merlot grapes ripen slowly here, developing rich black-fruit character and extraordinary complexity. MONUMENT TREE anderson valley Planted Acres: 17 Variety: Pinot Noir Soil: Clay Loam We began making Pinot Noir from Monument Tree Vineyard in 2007 and have been so impressed with the quality of the fruit that we purchased the vineyard in 2010. The vineyard is located at the western end of Anderson Valley, just eleven miles from the coast. Planted with a selection of French Dijon clones on clay loam soils, it is the ultimate low vigor, slow-ripening vineyard, which helps create wines with incredible fruit complexity. WESTSIDE ROAD russian river valley Planted Acres: 11.43 Soil: Gravely Loam Varieties: Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon Situated on our Twomey Healdsburg property at the northern end of the Russian River Valley, our Westside Road Vineyard is upriver from coastal influences, which allows this site less fog and more sunshine during the growing season. BIEN NACIDO santa maria valley Planted Acres: 8.8 Variety: Pinot Noir Soil: Clay loam with sedimentary rock deposits Owned by the Miller Family since 1969, Bien Nacido Vineyard has become a Santa Maria Valley icon. Located near the coast on steep hillsides under intense sunshine and cold air, Pinot Noir thrives in this cool growing region.
West Pin Vineyard P I N O T N O I R Our commitment to Pinot Noir began in 2000 when we secured a nine-acre site in Russian River Valley, our West Pin Vineyard. Insisting on varietal focus, our next step was to create a winery devoted to Pinot Noir. After finding the perfect winery in Healdsburg, we spent the next year retrofitting it to make it ideal for small lot Pinot Noir production, installing open-top fermentors with punchdown capability and sophisticated heating and cooling technology. With an eye toward developing Pinot Noir from renowned single vineyards and appellations, we ve sought out vineyards and growers from specific geographic regions that specialize in this delicate varietal. M E R L O T Twomey Merlot is sourced from our own Soda Canyon Ranch in Napa Valley and is one of California s few single-vineyard Merlot wines. The wine s expressive aromas, flavors and silky texture come from a classic Bordeaux technique known as soutirage traditionnel. Several times during aging in French oak the wine is racked from barrel to barrel using gravity rather than a pump. This gentle, labor-intensive process softens the tannins while clarifying the wine to a crystalclear brilliance and heightens the aromatic qualities. SAUVIGNON BLANC We grow Sauvignon Blanc on three estate properties: the vineyard surrounding our Calistoga winery, our Westside Road Vineyard below the Twomey winery in the Russian River Valley and at our Oakville Vineyard surrounding our Silver Oak winery. The soil and climate differences in these three sites gives us a range of expressions of Sauvignon Blanc that we blend to create our unique style. The Napa fruit offers us a deft balance of citrus and mineral elements which is complemented beautifully by the guava and tropical notes from our Sonoma fruit. With careful viticulture and judicious winemaking we capture the essence of the soil and sunny climate in which these grapes are grown, and the minerality and freshness so becoming to this varietal.
Sustainability Integrated Pest Management We use IPM to regulate insect populations. This keeps harmful pests in check by providing a habitat that attracts beneficial insects, such as ladybugs, spiders, bees, butterflies and predatory mites. We ve also built nesting boxes in our vineyards for bluebirds and owls, which help keep unwanted insect and rodent populations at bay. Cover Crops We plant cover crops between the vine rows, which help to build organic matter, suppress weeds, improve soil structure and reduce nutrient loss all of which lead to healthier soils and grapevines. Water Conservation To monitor and control our water use, we utilize deficit irrigation systems with soil moisture sensors and plant stress monitors. Fish Friendly Farming certification This program recognizes agricultural properties that have managed to restore fish and wildlife habitat and improve water quality. Our certified vineyards include Soda Canyon Ranch and Calistoga Vineyard.
Twomey Healdsburg 3000 Westside Road Healdsburg, CA 95448 800.505.4850 Twomey Calistoga 1183 Dunaweal Lane Calistoga, CA 94515 800.505.4850 w w w. t w o m e y. c o m