John Faulkner might have the best job a 31 year old winemaker could dream of. He works under Sashi Moorman and Rajat Parr to craft not only Stolpman wines, but also burgundy projects Sandhi, Domaine de la Cote, and Pence Ranch even fitting in time to play with the small experimental lots of the PiedraSassi project. Just as Tom Stolpman encouraged Sashi to branch out … Read More →
We believe Syrah is the best suited grape for Ballard Canyon. Sangiovese also does exceptionally well in our vineyard, but it ripens simultaneously with Syrah. The timing creates one of our very best wines, La Croce, but it also creates a tough picking rush for La Cuadrilla and an insanely frantic period for Sashi and the winery. Enter Grenache, which has gained a fervent following … Read More →
A RARE HARVEST-TIME VISIT FROM STEPHANE OGIER When Stephane Ogier, the famed Cote Rotie winemaker of Domaine Michel & Stephane Ogier, told us he was coming to visit on September 5, Rajat Parr and I carved out time to show him Ballard Canyon. Sashi even committed to cooking dinner in the middle of Sandhi and Domaine de la Cote Pinot Noir and Chardonnay harvest. I privately wondered … Read More →
The wine world has gone crazy for Concrete! It seems modern winemaking has finally cycled through a complete rotation, and it only took forty years! Wineries went from rooms crammed with shining stainless steel tanks and stacks of pristine new barrels to building the same Concrete tanks that were used in Europe for a millennia. To take advantage of the wonders of modern winemaking, every … Read More →