A soil’s tilth is its physical health, especially in relation to its suitability for planting or growing a crop. And a vineyard’s tilth is crucial to the success of the resulting wine, and thus is of utmost importance to Jason and Hillary Driscoll, Owners and Winemaking team behind Driscoll Wine Company. Their sister brands, Tilth and Hibou, are created with a focus on vineyard sources that champion proper soil cultivation through sustainable farming practices and smartly planted grape varietals. This kind of commitment can lead a winemaker down roads less travelled, which for Driscoll Wine Company has resulted in exceptional wines and a burgeoning family brand that they hope will live on well beyond their years.
Finding vineyards of exceptional quality and honorable farming practices can be a tough task, especially for a young brand with little name recognition to help with traction. Jason likes to reminisce about the days where he would drive aimlessly through regions that inspired him and hope to chance upon lesser-known vineyard sites at the end of dirt roads. “I remember going to Marin and dropping notes on people’s doorsteps, asking them who was buying their fruit.” Mile by mile, Jason explored the outer stretches of Mendocino, Marin, Calistoga, and beyond, and as a result boasts a robust portfolio of 10+ wines, all sourced from exceptional vineyard sites that promote restorative farming practices which will support the health of the soil for years to come.
Jason’s dreams did not always feature a wine cellar. As a young man, he moved to the Napa Valley in order to pursue a culinary career and was first introduced to cellar work strictly as a means to pay his culinary school tuition. The physical labor as well as the ethos of creating with his hands were aspects of the industry that resonated with him, but Jason was pulled by the fast-paced culture of the kitchen. It wasn’t until he met David DeSante of DeSante Wines that Jason first considered pivoting to winemaking full-time. “He knows his chemistry and is a very smart guy” says Jason. “I've got a cooking background. I tend to fly by the seat of my pants and work in a different wavelength. Having him take me under his wing really taught me so much about the process of winemaking. I learned about fermentation kinetics, yeast physiology, and a lot of new stuff for me. It was a lot of fun, too!” Just three years later, Tilth was born, and Jason has never once looked back (though we hear he is still a whiz in the kitchen!).
The Cabernet for this debut wine comes from the Star Vineyard in Rutherford. Originally a collaboration of the late Reg Oliver, celebrated winemaker Ric Forman, and the demigod of viticulture David Abreu, the Star Vineyard grows in the heart of the Rutherford AVA. Its location on the west side of Highway 29 in the middle of Rutherford means the vines get wonderful sun exposure and can sink their roots into deep, well drained alluvial soils. The grapes were destemmed to an open-top fermenter where they were cold-soaked for three days before fermentation. A mixture of punch-downs and pump-overs were performed over the course of thirty days before the wine was pressed to ten new French oak barrels and one neutral barrel. The wine was racked once after the first winter and aged for a total of twenty-two months in barrel before being gently filtered and then bottled. The resulting wine is full of fresh blackberries, blueberries, and currants, layered with tobacco, tea leaf, and cocoa spice. Fine tannins and energized acidity lead to a lively mouthfeel with a long finish. Only 300 cases produced of this debut wine!
