When Richard and Saralee Kunde established Saralee's Vineyard in 1989, they chose the site for its cool climate, promising soil, and varied terrain. Today, Saralee's Vineyard is one of the icons of the Russian River Valley. One of the remarkable qualities about this vineyard is Saralee's ability to grow such an astounding number of varietals and clones extremely well at different points in the vineyard, thus making it a veritable treasure trove for winemakers. In addition, many parts of the vineyard meet the highest international standards for shipping budwood around the world.
Saralee's Vineyard is situated in the middle of the Russian River Valley American Viticultural Area where cool and often foggy mornings provide an exceptional environment for gentle ripening throughout the summer. We've seen diurnal temperatures in the fall span a remarkable 60 degrees with 30s at night and 90s during the day. Our blocks of Pinot Noir and Roussanne were planted in 1998 and lie in the middle, flatter portions of the vineyard. Our Viognier block is located on the hillside to the north and was planted in sections between 1994 and 1996. In the Pinot Noir and Roussanne blocks, soils are a mixture of Huichica loam, Pajaro gravelly loam, Yolo loam, and Yolo sandy loam overwash. The Viognier hillside is composed of Huichica loam, Yolo loam, and Zamora silty clay loam.
The list of wineries working with Saralee's Vineyard is impressive. One of the things we love about this vineyard is the care and attention Saralee and her crews give to small and large wineries alike. We began working with Saralee prior to forming Coterie Cellars when we went looking for a tiny amount of Roussanne, which is a challenge to grow. Since then, we have added Pinot Noir clones 113, 115, and 23, as well as Viognier which overlooks that original Roussanne block. We usually harvest starting in late September with the Roussanne arriving well into October.
View our 2007 Saralee's Vineyard Pinot Noir
View our 2007 Saralee's Vineyard Roussanne
View all 2007 wines
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