STAR VINEYARD
AVA: Rutherford
Elevation: 150'-200'
Soil: Bale Loam
Owned and managed by Jack Oliver, Star Vineyard is in the heart of the Rutherford AVA. Sitting east of the 29 at about 150-200 feet elevation, the vines are planted in bale loam. As with all of the sites we source grapes from, it took years to get the opportunity to work with Star. After being somewhat of a squeaky wheel in Jack’s ear, Jason was finally able to get his chance starting in 2018. A majority of our Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay is sourced from Star Vineyard.
STAMPEDE VINEYARD
AVA: Lodi
Elevation: 140'
Soil: Tokay Fine Sandy Loam
Who knew Twitter can lead to getting fruit contracts? After our founders sent Jeff Perlegos a message on Twitter in 2016 inquiring about Zinfandel, they met in Lodi and Jeff educated him on the vineyards of the region. Perlegos’ Cherryhouse Vineyard immediately became a star component of the Tilth Zinfandel. After some elegant begging, we were able to get into Stampede Vineyard. Located right next to the famous Clements Stampede Rodeo, Stampede Vineyard is own-rooted, 100-year-old Zinfandel farmed by Jeff and John Perlegos. Jason still gets lost on his way home from Lodi, but he gets lost in his own driveway so it’s not saying much.
PETALUMA GAP VINEYARD
AVA: Sonoma Coast
Elevation: 320'
Soil: (Pliocene) Siltstone and Claystone
For years, we’ve driven on Stage Gulch Rd. toward Petaluma and passed this beautiful vineyard blanketing rolling hills and just thought it would be fun to make wine from there. We had no idea what fruit was there, figuring it was likely Chardonnay or Pinot Noir, but sometimes you just have a gut feeling about a site. In the summer of 2019, we were at a lunch with Tom Leonardini who mentioned a vineyard he purchased on Stage Gulch Rd…it was the very vineyard we always talked about but never knew how to access. Naturally, Jason asked if he could try some fruit out and, just like that, we have a great addition to our Tilth Pinot Noir. Located in the Petaluma Gap this vineyard is at around 320 feet in elevation and is influenced significantly by the San Pablo Bay winds. Planted in 1999, we get both Calera and Swan clone Pinot Noir from this site. The warm days and cool nights allow the fruit to ripen while preserving a refreshing acidity that keeps our Pinot Noir vibrant.
RIDDLE VINEYARD
AVA: Russian River Valley
Elevation: 750'
Soil: Goldridge
Jim Riddle was the first grower to take a chance on Jason back in 2014. While working as a cellarhand, Jason knew he wanted to make Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast but the competition for fruit was, and is still, enormous. Through a friend, Jason was introduced to Jim. After a feast and a bottle of Champagne on his vineyard, Jason was able to convince him to sell him his fruit. Riddle Vineyard is located on Stoetz Lane in Sebastopol and is farmed meticulously by Jim. Jason sources Pinot Noir clones 115 and Pommard from this vineyard which is cane-pruned and yields an average of 2-3 tons per acre. The vineyard is situated a few miles inland from the coast so it benefits from warm daylight hours tempered by evening cooling breezes. The Goldridge and Franciscan-shale soils are an unbelievable foundation to the fruit Jim grows.