Pop’s – Grist Vineyard Red Blend

Woody Hambrecht crafts his delicious Red Blend with Mountain top fruit throughout Sonoma county that is all CCOF certified organic.

Woody is a third-generation winemaker who cut his teeth working for Gary Farrell and Shane Finley at Kistler. Woody has also served as the vineyard manager at Grist Vineyard for more than a decade. Grist Vineyard – part of a larger farm called Wine Creek Ranch – is located about 5 miles northwest of Healdsburg, 1,000 ft above sea level near the top of Bradford Mountain. The property is in the Dry Creek Valley American Viticultural Area. The 200-acre ranch has 70 acres of vineyards planted mostly with Zinfandel and Syrah, with smaller blocks of Petite Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, and Viognier.

Their cover crop management consists of a mix of crimson clover, fava, sweet peas, radish, mustard, and assorted ryegrasses. These add nitrogen and organic matter into soils and act as erosion control and habit for beneficial insects.

The vineyard is planted on Boomer and Stonyford loam soils. They are shallow red clay and volcanic soils that are iron-rich and well-draining. Because they don’t use herbicides and add a high volume of high-quality organic compost, there is a very healthy mycorrhizal fungi network throughout the property. The terroir of Grist Vineyard allows for high Brix development while maintaining surprisingly low pHs.

In the cellar, Woody utilizes natural, minimal intervention techniques to craft a bright, fresh red wine with a new-school profile that’s also a nod to pre-prohibition heritage blends.