YC Full brochure Feb2013

The most awarded Californian winery using
certified organic grapes
Celebrating 27
years of Organic
Certification
Yorkville Cellars is located in Mendocino County,
100 miles north of San Francisco. You’ll find our
vineyards surrounding our tasting room on Highway 128, a picturesque road that winds past sheep
ranches, vineyards and apple orchards before
plunging through the redwood forest to emerge at
the Mendocino coastline. Our hillside organic vineyards have been certified since 1986, so we do not
use synthetic chemicals or artificial pesticides.
Here you will find the only winery to grow and
produce all eight of the main Bordeaux grapes each
as a varietal wine: Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon,
Malbec, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon,
Merlot, Carmenere, and Cabernet Franc.
Over a decade we have won 446 medals in major
wine competitions in California.
Mendocino County
Hwy 128 between Boonville & Cloverdale
P.O. Box 3, Yorkville, CA
(707) 894-9177
yvcellars@pacific.net
www.YorkvilleCellars.com
Our Story
It was in the mid-eighties that we discovered this special place: a highland valley
where the waters of the Russian and
Navarro Rivers start and part, and where
the giant redwoods and valley oaks come
together in their special beauty.
We founded Yorkville Cellars in 1994
after a number of years of selling grapes
to local wineries who were frequently
awarded gold medals at major international wine competitions.
Timeline: Wine
and Organics
5000 BC — First wines in Georgia,
Greece and Iran made from organically
(no chemicals) grown grapes; as they are
worldwide for the next 6,950 years!
Having spent a lot of time in French vineyards, we decided to take the unusual step
of planting all the Bordeaux varietals.
We were starting our family and since the
vineyard was also to be our children’s back
yard, it was an easy decision for us to farm
without using chemicals.
Our overall goal has always been to offer
fine wine from estate grapes made with
every bit of TLC possible.
Cheers!
Deborah & Edward Wallo
Founders and WineGrowers
Top Accolades
Over 19 vintages we’ve had the pleasure of producing 194 wines. Here is
our best attempt at listing the ten
wines that we’ve derived the most
pleasure pouring for our family and
friends and saying, “This is a Yorkville
Cellars wine made from our grapes.”
So here is the “Best of the Best—
Our All-Time Top 10.”
2009 Carmenere
93 pts, The Tasting Panel Magazine
2008 Semillon
94 pts Best of Class, California State Fair
2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
90 pts, One of 33 “Best Buys” out of 844
Cab’07s tasted in Wine & Spirits Magazine
2006 Petit Verdot
Double Gold, San Francisco Int’l Wine Comp
(just 3% of 4,274 wines earned Double Gold)
2004 Malbec
Gold & Best of Class, New World Int’l
Gold, Pacific Rim Int'l Wine Competition
2003 Petit Verdot
Chairman's Award, Riverside International
93 pts, Best of Class, California State Fair
2002 Semillon
91 pts, Top 100 Wine of the Year, Wine & Spirits
Magazine , Best of Class, Calif. State Fair
2001 Merlot
Double Gold & Best Merlot, San Francisco Int'l
(chosen Top Wine among 322 Merlots emtered)
Double Gold, Riverside International
Just a handful of the 446 medals won in major
wine competitions in California over a decade,
which is more than the 150 or so California
wineries that mention organic grown grapes on
their labels.
1997 Richard the Lion-Heart
90 pts, The Wine Enthusiast
Gold & Best of Class, California State Fair
1995 Eleanor of Aquitaine
93 pts, Top 100 Wine of the Year, Wine Enthusiast; and National White Meritage Champion
1920’s & ’30’s — Along with the growth
in the use of tractors, there is a growing
reliance on synthetic fertilizers.
1940 — The term “organic farming” first
published in the book, Look to the Land
by Lord Northbourne.
1946 — Post WWII chemical companies
looking for new markets start promoting
pesticides and chemical fertilizers.
1962 — Rachel Carson publishes Silent
Spring, chronicling the effects of DDT
and other pesticides on the environment.
1970 — First Earth Day celebration held
on April 22nd.
1980 — Whole Foods starts first store in
Austin, TX.
1986 — Yorkville Vineyards
certified organic after passing
three years of inspections ; one of
the first dozen wine grape vineyards in
the state to be certified organic.
1994 — Yorkville Cellars starts as a
small, family-run operation selling its
wine in its tasting room in the middle of
the organic vineyards. Fetzer launches
Bonterra wines, the first national wine
brand made with certified organic grapes.
2003 — EcoWine Fest in Santa Monica.
Yorkville Cellars wins more medals than
any of the other 49 awarded wineries
using organic grapes.
2007 — Over 172 million pounds of pesticides applied in California. There are
11,000 registered pesticide products.
Source: Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR)
2008 — About 2% of California’s wine
grapes are farmed organically; in Mendocino County 18% are certified organic.
2013 — Yorkville Cellars celebrates
27 years of certified organic farming.
Yorkville Cellars
Randle Hill Organic Vineyard — whites
Rennie Organic Vineyard — reds
Our two vineyards total 30 acres and are on a hillside
between 1,000 and 1,300 feet in elevation.
Parsley goes to
work among
our vines...
Parsley greets us after a tasty
breakfast of native grasses and
vetch. He and nine other miniature Southdown Babydoll Sheep
spent part of the winter in our
vineyard feasting on unwanted
weeds and providing the bonus of a little fertilizer. Growing organically, and therefore without the use of herbicides, weed control is an
expensive and time-consuming challenge. We mow, hoe, burn, and, eh,
sometimes? munch! We have sheep in the vineyards most years.
This ancient breed of British sheep stands only about 24 inches tall.
With their barrel-shaped bodies and short legs they tend to keep their
heads down and quietly roam pastures rather than foraging for leaves,
so we wanted to see how long they would ignore the spring vine shoots.
Although organic farming is seen as something ‘new and cutting edge’,
it is in fact a return to traditional methods of agricultural production
perfected over thousands of years.
Exceptional fine wine made through daily vine-byvine viticulture handwork.
We do handwork on each vine over ten
times between pruning and harvest. Decisions are made on a vine-by-vine basis.
Typically each Spring 100,000
or more lady bugs are introduced
into the vineyards as they are
beneficial insects preying on
unwanted ones.
Early Spring cover crops are used
between the vine rows to provide
organic matter. This adds important fertility and retains moisture
in the soils.
The basic goal of organic farming is to create healthy, living soils.
This is achieved in two ways. First is the use of only natural fertilizers, compounds that contain a wide range of the nutrients
needed by plants and avoiding the concentrated fertilizers that are
heavy on the three main plant foods; nitrogen, potassium and
phosphate. (A good analogy is a person eating only sugar, steak
and olive oil. They would certainly get all the energy and protein
they require, but would lack the vitamins and minerals to keep
them truly healthy, and would eventually fall ill; scurvy, rickets
and goiter are all conditions that result from lack of a specific
required vitamins).
The second main part of organic farming is avoiding harmful
chemicals. Many of the compounds used to control pest insects
also kill beneficial insects; those that might eat the ‘bad’ bugs or
even bees that pollinate crops. The loss of beneficial bugs can
throw off the balance in the field, causing even greater infestations, requiring the use of stronger pesticides, or more frequent
applications. The average conventional vineyard in California will
be sprayed over a dozen times each year!
Proudly celebrating 27 years of certified organic farming.
Certified means a third party rigorously doublechecks all vineyard activities, and provides the assurance that the grapes are grown according to strict
standards. We are proud recipients of the prestigious
“Masters of Organics” Award. Each of our labels
reads “made with organic grapes.”
Winegrowing the
way is was done for
6,950 years before
petrochemicals
The Flavors of Yorkville
Red grapes are gently crushed in small bins and tanks; while white grapes are
barrel fermented. Our white wines spend 4 to 8 months in barrels and our
reds about 20 months before we blend and bottle. The result is 15 unique
flavors of Yorkville; we typically produce 400—1,000 cases of each wine.
Sparkling Malbec Brut Rosé
Rennie Organic Vynd
We had never heard of a sparkling wine made from Malbec, but decided to produce one
in a Brut Rosé style as we continue to be fascinated with this grape varietal.
Sauvignon Blanc
Randle Hill Organic Vineyard
Over three pounds of organic grapes in every bottle.
Barrel fermented in seasoned oak delivers an aromatic and full bodied wine from our
oldest, and therefore, flagship vineyard. Great aperitif. Our starter wine most evenings.
Semillon
Randle Hill Organic Vineyard
Often have to fight the wild boar for our Semillon. Velvety and scrumptious, our Semillon is lifted by lemon thyme and citrus flavors; a favorite to have with crab dishes.
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Randle Hill Organic Vineyard
Our Graves style blend made from our very best barrels of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. Named after the 12th century queen who after her marriage to Henry II of England
brought the wines of Bordeaux (which she inherited) to the English palace.
Rosé de Franc
Rennie Organic Vineyard
More a Cab Franc Lite than a rosé, this dry rosé is in the style of the western Loire area.
Fabulous picnic wine or on while on the deck during a hot day.
Cabernet Franc
Rennie Organic Vineyard
The original Cabernet dating back to the 800’s. Cab Franc can be the most aromatic of
the Bordeaux varietals and the best matched with white meats.
Malbec
Rennie Organic Vineyard
"Perhaps we should consider making
Yorkville Cellars our house wine...“
Our elevation of 1,000 ft. allows concentrated flavors to develop. There are 70,000 acres
in Argentina, but it’s very difficult to find a Californian Malbec.
Merlot
Rennie Organic Vineyard
Hot summer days and very cool nights ensure that our Merlot can be both lush and ripe
while maintaining enough acidity to give structure and elegance.
Petit Verdot
Rennie Organic Vineyard
Late ripener; but the reward is bright aromas and unique tannin structure. Recently it
has been the most expensive grape to buy in the state. Glad we have our own.
Carmenere
Rennie Organic Vineyard
Like a brooding Merlot! Out of a half million acres of wine grapes, there are only 56
bearing acres in California. Now associated with Chile, it is originally from Bordeaux.
Cabernet Sauvignon
Rennie Organic Vineyard
Like our other reds, it is made in a traditional, food-friendly, Bordeaux style; not highly
extracted nor high alcohol. Long “hang time” until late Oct. benefits and adds complexity.
Hi-Rollr Red
Mendocino County
500 red rose bushes line the entry way through our Rennie
Vineyard to our tasting room located along Highway 128
in southern Mendocino County.
Our easy drinking blend at a price for everyday drinking and a crowd pleaser. Hi-Rollr
was the name in the local lingo created 100 yrs ago, “Boontling,” for residents of Yorkville.
Richard the Lion-Heart
Rennie Organic Vineyard
Our proprietary blend which includes all six of the “Noble Red” varieties. The 2nd son
of Eleanor and Henry, Richard was a wine lover who based himself in Bordeaux. This is
a wine we suggest our customers cellar for a special occasion if they have the patience.
Sweet Malbec
Rennie Organic Vineyard
Invented in Yorkville — A special tank stops fermentation, resulting in a sweet (5—6%
R.S.), low alcohol (10%) wine with a fresh juice flavor and ideal with biscotti at 4pm.
Late Harvest Randle Hill Organic Vineyard
Made from our “noble rot” Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grapes picked at 45 Brix.
With a 22.2 R.S. this wine coats the mouth with intense flavors that linger and linger.
Feb 2013