Seabold Cellars began in 2014 with an exciting collaboration between
Chris Miller, an innovative Master Sommelier, and Peter Figge, whose background
was rooted in vineyard management. Since its inception, Seabold has stood out
as a label that makes wine for the joy of it. The duo has taken chances on new
varietals and lesser-known vineyard sites purely because they love exposing
what once was not. They allow the grapes to choose their own path, not
intervening in their journey into wine. After resting in barrel, if the team
feels that a particular wine is delicious, unique, and indicative of its source,
it has the opportunity to be released. More one-off wines fall under their BOLD
label, while their tried and true wines are bottled under their original label,
Seabold.
Chris and Peter decided to establish Seabold in the Monterey Bay
region because they both believed that cool-climate vineyards produce balanced
wines that showcase the origin more than the winemaking. During the year, more
time is spent in vineyards than the winery and their winemaking is as hands-off
as possible, respecting traditional techniques and practices without being
beholden to them.
Surprisingly, one of the features of Monterey that has a huge impact
on the wines from the region is not on land but out at sea! Less than 100 yards
off the Monterey Bay shoreline is the Blue Grand Canyon which, at 60 miles long
and 2 miles deep, is one of the world's largest and deepest marine trenches.
Its 300 cubic miles of frigid waters fuel the cold Salinas wind that funnels
through the Gabilan and Santa Lucia Mountain Ranges, creating bone-chilling
winds that are drawn through the length of the Salinas Valley. The diurnal
shift, or temperature swing from day to night, can be as great as 40 degrees,
and temperatures in this area rarely reach over 70 degrees. Such consistently
chilly weather and harsh winds make growing Pinot Noir, an already finicky
grape, even more challenging to farm. While the cool temperatures help to
preserve the acidity in the grapes which is certainly a plus, average low
temperatures can threaten the overall ripeness of the crop. Not to mention that
the winds are a serious threat to the thin and delicate skins of Pinot Noir. And
yet all these challenging characteristics are what drew Chris and Peter to
Monterey to begin with. Why make wine at all if it's going to be easy?
Seabold's 2015 Pinot Noir is hand-harvested at night and then hand-sorted
and fully destemmed. A natural cold soak period ensues in small bins before
manual punch-downs begin to encourage a native yeast fermentation. After
fermentation is complete, the wine is then aged for 12 months in oak barrique.
Finally, the wine is racked and bottled unfined and unfiltered. The resulting
palate is full of dried blackberries, blueberries, bergamot, and black tea.
There is a notable hint of sea spray followed by a jolt of acidity that gives
the wine a sense of liveliness. Pair with a warm bowl of butternut squash soup
to ring in the fall season! 312 cases produced.
