For Vintner, Aaron Michaelis, the memories he cherishes most are those of the tall prairie grasses of the meandering Flint Hills of eastern Kansas where he spent his childhood. Aaron grew up surrounded by an incredibly rich appreciation for the land and in awe of the invaluable practice of giving back to it. In 2013, he decided to set sail from the sea of grass and let his love for fine wine captain his prairie schooner on a voyage west. Aaron’s move to California was a leap of faith, fueled by a fascination with wine, that eventually brought him to the Napa Valley and cemented his future in the industry. Working in sales, marketing, and product development with boutique wineries and vineyards across the valley, Aaron became more passionate the more involved he got with each new project, and it soon grew harder to ignore his true calling. Finally in 2016, Aaron’s dream of creating a small portfolio of artisanal wines became a reality when he hired veteran winemaker and Thomas Rivers Brown protégé, Andy Jones, to create the first vintage of Flint Knoll.
Andy Jones is originally from Jackson, Wyoming, ut moved to the Bay Area to continue his career in the culinary world after entering the restaurant business at an early age. In 2008, Andy made the leap from a management position at a Michelin-starred restaurant to cellar intern at Outpost Wines on Howell Mountain. This seasonal position was a game-changer for Andy. At season’s end and at the behest of Consulting Winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown, Andy signed on full-time and began his decade long career as Assistant Winemaker before starting his own brand, Spinning Gold, and taking on a few clients of his own. Andy believes in a hands-off winemaking approach, letting the vineyard speak for itself. This does not mean the wine makes itself, of course. To be successful, this approach requires a painstaking amount of attention to detail, and almost unnatural level of intuition.
With only 5 barrels made, this is the definition of "a diamond in the rough." This is the wine that in 10 years everyone will be thinking, why did I not buy more of this?
Spring Mountain is defined by vineyards that range from small to smaller, often hand-tilled on terraces and sloping meadows, with wineries hidden from view among dark forests and steep winding roads. The 2018 'Big K' Cabernet from the Keenan Vineyard at 1,250 feet in elevation is intense, yet elegant with a beautiful, deep purple color and concentrated aromas of black currant, pipe tobacco, and black cherry along with vivid blueberries, blackberries, violet and bay leaf on the palate. The nose embodies Spring Mountain’s pine forest and conifer notes, and we are losing our minds over it.
