LaRue Wines
Sonoma Coast, CA
Katy Wilson
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When Katy was 18 years old, she made up her mind to become a winemaker. At the time, she was studying Agricultural Business at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. Katy grew up on a walnut orchard where she learned to drive a tractor before she learned to drive a car. Agricultural Business was a natural choice, but once at Cal Poly she discovered that wine was where she was meant to be. It was in her Agricultural Business 101 class, where she was listening to the professor go on and on about the different careers you can have, when something caught her ear. Wine. An industry that is agriculture and chemistry. It’s a very social industry. As a winemaker, one should be both creative and scientific. It was then that Katy realized there was a job perfectly suited to her.
Katy graduated from Cal Poly in 2005 with a degree in Wine & Viticulture and also in Agricultural Business. She then started her journey as a harvest intern at Testarossa Winery in Los Gatos, California making Pinot Noir and learning how to keep the cleanest winery in the land. From there it was down under to work for Torbreck Vintners in the Barossa Valley where she made wine from some of the oldest vines in the world. Back to California and the famed Napa Valley, Katy spent a harvest at Joseph Phelps making beautiful Cabernet. Down again to the Southern Hemisphere, but of a Kiwi variety this time, Katy worked in Hawkes Bay at Craggy Range in New Zealand. After a few years of being a nomad, she decided to land on the Sonoma Coast at Flowers Winery making distinguished Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. She worked her way from harvest enologist to assistant winemaker. During this time, she fell in love with the Sonoma Coast and truly developed a passion for making Pinot Noir. It is with this passion that she has made LaRue Wines.
Her first vintage was 2009, two vineyards she worked with since the beginning were Rice-Spivak (planted in 1999) and Emmeline Anne. In 2012 she began working with Thorne Ridge and Coastlands.
LaRue’s total production is limited to under 500 cases.
Wines
Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
Katy's Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is a barrel selection from Rice-Spivak (56%)and Thorn Ridge Vineyards, and depending on the vintage, Emmaline Ann (not in 2015). Starting in 2018 vintage, she will include the percentage of each vineyard on the back label.
In 2015 she picked in late-August. Her production was 100 cases. It is aged for 20 months in French oak (25% new). Alcohol: 13%.
Coastlands Vineyard Pinot Noir
First planted in 1989 by the Cobb family, the Coastlands Vineyard has some of the oldest Pinot Noir vines on the Sonoma Coast. After years of working exclusively as growers, the Cobb family started Cobb Wines in 2001, leaving very little fruit to sell to a few select wineries. LaRue is honored to be one of those wineries and to work with this amazing vineyard. Sitting at 900-1,200 feet elevation and overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Coastlands is the most extreme vineyard in the LaRue line up. This wine is a blend of three clones: Pommard, Martini, and Wadenswil.
It is aged for 30 months in French oak (50% new).
Emmaline Ann Vineyard Pinot Noir
The Emmaline Ann Vineyard is a three acre vineyard near the town of Freestone planted on pure Goldridge sandy loam soils with Dijon clonal selections. Just over 15 years ago, Wayne and Nancy Hunnicut planted this vineyard, which is named after Nancy’s grandmother. Facing southwest, towards the Pacific Ocean, the vineyard climate is moderated by morning and afternoon fog. The vineyard’s proximity to the ocean, as well as higher elevation at approximately 800 feet, both contribute to the elegant and balanced characteristics that are definitive of the Emmaline Ann Vineyard.
It is aged for 20 months in French oak (33% new).
Rice-Spivak Vineyard Pinot Noir
LaRue Rice-Spivak Vineyard Pinot Noir is from a seven acre vineyard south of the town of Sebastopol planted in 1999. It’s the furthest south vineyard that Katy works with. The soils on this vineyard are Goldridge sandy loam along with volcanic ash. The Goldridge is very common for the area, while the volcanic ash is quite unusual that Katy feels gives an earthy minerality to the wines.
In 2015, production was 150 cases. It is aged for 20 months in French oak (33% new). Two new barrels out of 6 total. 12.8% alcohol. In 2015 she didn’t use any whole-cluster for any of the wines (because it was such an early harvest) but in some vintages she will use up to 15% stems.
Thorn Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir
Planted in 1996 by Ted Klopp and his daughter Lauren Klopp Williams and located just west of the town of Sebastopol, Katy works with the oldest blocks on the vineyard all east-facing, starting in 2014. Katy feels that the aromatics often present riper than the wine on the palate.
Production:100 cases. Aged 20 months in French oak (50% new). Alcohol is 12.9%.
Chardonnay Charles Heintz
Since 1912, the Heintz family has owned and operated this beautiful site just east of the town of Occidental. Located at about 900 feet elevation on Goldridge sandy loam soils and with the cool ocean influence, the Heintz Vineyard’s fruit is a quintessential expression of the Sonoma Coast. The Heintz Chardonnay was planted in 1982 to Clone 4, commonly known as the Wente Clone, and is a highly sought after vineyard for premium wine producers. The coastal influence balanced by the clonal selection gives the wine a great acid backbone with a rich palate and a touch of minerality.
It is aged for 17 months in French oak.
Chardonnay H. Klopp Vineyard
2017 is the first vintage from this vineyard, Katy teamed up with Ted Klopp and his daughter Lauren Klopp Williams (who also own Thorne Ridge Vineyard) to plant this vineyard in 2011. She encouraged them to plant Chardonnay rather than Pinot because she feels the site lends itself to the variety.
Production 50 cases. Aged 18 months in once used French oak. Alcohol 14.2%.
2017 was a tough vintage, Labor Day heat spike (over 100 degrees) so this wine is higher alcohol that usual but this site maintained great acidity. In subsequent vintages, alcohol is closer to 12.5%.