The High Valley Winery Love Story

Jun 5, 2010 by Diane Davis

Lake County has a reputation for offering hidden treasures and experiences to its community and visitors; however, just when you think you’ve seen everything this phenomenal area has to offer, something new and incredible is uncovered that makes you realize you haven’t seen anything yet.  On a beautiful day in early March, I took a trip to an area I was familiar with, but had never had the pleasure of visiting.  I knew that High Valley was a special region for growing wine grapes, but it wasn’t until I met Dustin, who owns High Valley Vineyards with his wife, Bobbie, and took a tour of this unique valley with him, that I learned how much more the valley has to offer beyond spectacular views.

On my drive up to High Valley I was eager to learn more about this region and how exactly it was conducive to grape growing.  Even more so, I was curious to discover what led Dustin and Bobbie to enter the winemaking industry and buy property outside the more popular wine grape growing areas in Lake County.  At an estimated elevation of 2,100 feet and on 80 acres of property, High Valley Vineyards is named after the area where its grapes are grown.  Aside from High Valley Vineyards, Shannon Ridge and Brassfield Estate also call High Valley home.

Acting as tour guide, historian, and wine expert, Dustin told me about his journey from his early days of working at a cattle ranch in Quincy, California while attending Feather River College where he studied Administration of Justice. After relocating to Santa Rosa from Quincy and marrying Bobbie, he began working at a few wineries while continuing his studies.  It was here when his interest for grape growing and winemaking flourished while he apprenticed under Rich Thomas. With a strong passion for wine and a recognizable talent for grape growing, Dustin and Bobbie began scouting locations to grow grapes. Through the help of a friend of Dustin’s since childhood, they learned about property available in High Valley.  Not only was the affordability that Lake County offered attractive, but the fact that the property they were exploring was supporting 12 acres of grapes (half Zinfandel, and half Syrah) was more than enough encouragement for the couple to purchase the land.  In 1999, Bobbie and Dustin began the delicate process of evaluating the land and learning its behavior.  Through the use of temperature devices and market analysis they studied what types of varietals would grow best in the region and would be marketable to sell. After considering their options, Dustin and Bobbie planted Cabernet, Sauvignon Blanc, Barberra, Petite Sirah and Malbec.

Following the purchase of the land in High Valley, the couple moved with their first daughter to Lake County in 2000, where they welcomed twin boys to the family.  With a full-time job growing grapes, Dustin didn’t have any intention of becoming a winemaker himself. However, Brassfield Estates  began to produce such great wine under Kevin Robinson that Dustin considered it.  A friendly business alliance with a collaboration of the other grape growers in the region, (Shannon Ridge and Brassfield Estates) they created a new, unique, AVA (American Viticulture Area, which describes the appellation of orgin for the grapes on the label) which was named “High Valley”.  The High Valley AVA encompasses such a distinctive and rare region, that it is only one of two valleys in the entire state of California with environmental conditions so favorable to grape growing. The other valley is Santa Ynez in Southern California.  A geological anomaly, High Valley is East-West oriented, whereas most other grape growing valleys are North-South oriented.  This allows the High Valley to remain at least 10 degrees cooler than the rest of the county during the growing season, and reduces the threat of sun burning the grapes.  Had the valley been North-South it wouldn’t provide any cooling effect, making it just another hot area to grow grapes.

As Dustin continued showing me his vineyards which he so obviously loved we discussed how climate affects varietals. Then he explained the unique composition of the High Valley and how its geology has led to the production of some of the finest grapes in California.   “Many,  many moons ago, Round Mountain erupted and blocked the drainage out of High Valley. What resulted was a lake.  And then over the course of many, many years, the natural erosion displaced the water and now you have a valley with a big beautiful meadow in the center. It’s all pristine grape-growing land as a result.  And we try to take advantage of it as much as we can.  I really believe that without this valley being attached to our story, we would just be one more guy out there trying to sell 1,500 cases of wine a year and big deal, you know?”

As I looked out over High Valley and took in the views, I gained a deeper appreciation for the land than I did when I first arrived.  It is one thing to see a pretty view, but it’s another when you learn the story of the land and how it contributes to the production of fine winemaking.  As my interview with Dustin progressed, I really get a sense for how much he respects the land.  It is evident how enraptured he is by the astounding benefits High Valley offers and how it’s environmental conditions produce unparalleled grape cultivation.  During our interview my respect for him as a farmer and winemaker grew because he clearly understood that even with all the talent in the world, without the properties of the High Valley, his vineyard would not produce the type of product it does.  His farming pays tribute to High Valley and embodies the essence of the region and High Valley Vineyards.

We continued our tour of High Valley and I learned more about the winemaking process and how Dustin and Bobbie have built such a noteworthy winery. When the land was initially purchased, it was completely undeveloped.  PG&E had to install power, then they had to dig wells, and build roads before High Valley Vineyards became what it is today.  Dustin explained the amount of effort, technique, and artistry involved in the grape-growing and winemaking process.  The 18 acres of Sauvignon Blanc grapes are High Valley Vineyards primary varietal.  Additionally, they grow other traditional varietals such as Cabernet and are cool enough to grow Petite Sirah.  Recently, they introduced a few exotic varietals of Malbec and Barberra, which Dustin considers “obscure varieties.”

Obscure or not, it is that ability to blend the traditional varietals with the contemporary ones that makes grape growing in the High Valley so exciting. Dustin and Bobbie also know it takes commitment to their customers to sell wine, so they deliver a customer service experience and product unmatched by their competitors. High Valley Vineyards markets its wine personally; Dustin and Bobbie provide their wine directly to their customers. With a firm allegiance to providing an excellent customer experience, Dustin explained that most of their wines are hand sold “…either by us personally, or at a restaurant somewhere on the wine list, and by the glass a lot of time.  So that’s the reason you are not going to see us on a lot of shelves outside of Lake County.”

As we move along the beautiful and almost surreal landscape of High Valley, Dustin and I continue our conversation on winemaking. He says the secret to producing great wine starts in the vineyard: “You can’t make good wine from bad grapes.  When we get the good grapes to make the wine, we give the credit to the valley because the wine really is made in the vineyard.  You have to spend a lot of time letting the fruit develop in the right way.  We spend a lot of time making sure we give it the right amount of water.  We watch the canopy, and drop fruit that doesn’t ripen.  Once the grapes get to the winery, it is a process that happens the same no matter what winery you go to, there are little differences here and there where you can decide to crush or not crush.  You can whole cluster press, ferment on the skins or the barrel.  They can play around with how the wine is going to turn out a little bit, but for the most part you are taking the grapes, fermenting them and putting them in a bottle.  To me, I think about it really simple like that, therefore, I take a lot of pride in what the vineyard gives me.”

Dustin admits that while artistry in winemaking is a component, it alone will not yield a great bottle of wine.  “There is a little bit of artistry inside the winery…The grapes are the foundation.  If you were to pull out the fact that this valley makes good grapes, put that out of the way, that being your foundation, the rest wouldn’t matter.” Like any other grower and winemaker, High Valley Vineyards is at the mercy of weather conditions and must be keenly aware of its’ behavior to determine its’ impact on the grapes.  Similar to other growers, High Valley Vineyards uses frost protection to avoid burning the buds during the springtime.  During the frost season, Dustin is awoken by an alarm that “…is the most annoying sound you’ve ever heard.  I never get used to it.  It scares me out of the bed it is so loud!”  Even with preventive measures that use a pump to spray the vines with water warmer than the air, High Valley Vineyards has lost some crops due to severe weather conditions.  “It was just a couple of years ago we had an arctic mass that came through. It hit Sonoma county first, then Napa county and then Lake county and it just wiped out vineyards.  That year we lost about 50% of our crop.  I know guys that lost 100%.  I know guys in all three counties that lost all [of] their crop that year. It was a heck of a thing to experience.  I remember learning about it, but that wasn’t a frost, it was an arctic freeze. There’s a big difference.”

Weather conditions aside, growing exceptional grapes also depends on when to pick, and as Dustin explained, it is not as simple of a process as you would think.  In fact, he considers it one of the biggest decisions he has to make during the growing process – a “make or break.”  High Valley Vineyards deliberates over when to pick the grapes so much that season after season, Dustin worked to develop his palate to identify when the grapes are ripe and ready to be sent to the winery as the measurement of the sugar in the grapes is just a guide.

“One of the tricks I had to learn was to know when to pick.  The only way you can do that is to year after year learn to know what ripe fruit is supposed to taste like.  I had a lot of help from Kevin Robinson at Brassfield Estate.  He would come out here and we would taste together.  A lot of times I’d just taste sugar and equate that to ripeness, but he taught me to taste beyond that, to taste for the flavors that are developing.”

Once the grapes are picked High Valley Vineyards sells the majority of their crop to other wineries, but they retain enough of their grapes to make their own wines.  Again, however, their focus is to maintain personal relationships with their customer base, which is accomplished primarily through their wine club.  Their wine club reinforces High Valley Vineyard’s core business philosophy, to listen and focus on the customer.  High Valley Vineyards wine club members not only enjoy the privilege of indulging in some of California’s finest wine, but they can also take a free tour of the valley that their wine comes from.  According to Dustin, “My winery story gets you out in the valley and talks about the land, the geology.  It’s unique.”

High Valley is to say the least, a charming and utterly beautiful setting that, luckily for avid wine drinkers, is an outstanding wine grape growing region.   I ask Dustin what he thinks about Lake County in general and how it’s presence as a grape-growing region compares to other areas in the state.  He explains that Lake County has an advantage over other areas, such as Napa Valley because “…there hasn’t been just one red variety that has been identified as Lake County’s grape to grow.  Whereas Napa Valley has Cab and they can’t afford to plant anything else in Napa Valley besides Cab because their price per ton is so high on Cab. If you were to plant anything else, say say, Blanc, there is a huge opportunity cost associated with that, so you have to plant Cab.  Up here, all of our red varities are pretty evenly priced so you’re going to see Six Sigma, for instance, growing Tempranillo and they have the highest scoring Tempranillo in California. Lake County is proud of that fact.  And then you’re going to see varieties like Barbarra. Shannon Ridge makes a fantastic Barberra and that’s why I planted Barberra.”

What else does Lake County have working in its favor?  High Valley.  Unlike any other area in the county, High Valley can support Pinot.  While Dustin assures me that others have most likely tried to grow Pinot throughout the county, it certainly wouldn’t be as successful because other areas do not have the temperature differentials to sustain a productive crop.

I inquired as to where High Valley Vineyards purchases their vines and how long does the process of winemaking actually take to yield a product? Dustin tells me that they purchase their vines from grape vine nurseries and select specific “clones” of vines that have a good reputation among other growers. The first-year’s vine doesn’t produce. The entire process of growing and wine making takes sincere patience and earnest belief that you will eventually render a barrel of wine from all of your hard work.  Dustin explained, “You’re sitting there for a couple of years just hoping it all works out.  Then after you’ve been doing it for a while, I suppose, these guys that have been doing it for years, it’s just par for the course. [But] I never get used to it.  When I plant a vine I want to see fruit now.”

Our interview was winding down we headed to the tasting room where we met up with Bobbie, who clearly shares the same love for the valley as her husband. Aside from her commitment to their winery and the successes they have experienced from living in High Valley, she expressed that living in the region has preserved the essence of childhood for her children. “The kids have bikes so they ride their bikes everywhere.  I have a whistle that I keep by the door and the kids and dogs come running when I call them with it…I wouldn’t trade it for the world.” Before I left, Dustin talked about the business alliance he has with the other wineries in High Valley, Brassfield Estates and Shannon Ridge.

“We’ve had quite a lot of success telling this story and not just me- everyone in High Valley.  We’ve had Gene Burns with KGO up here doing the same thing, Paul Francin of Wines and Vines, so the wine industry press has realized the potential up here.  I’ve talked about all the accolades we’ve had with the gold medals and best in class medals on our wines, as well as Shannon Ridge, and their success they’ve had in a short time at Brassfield with all their golds.  There is a common denominator to all we’ve done, and of course, it is High Valley…Grapes are the foundation.  My story is High Valley.  High Valley is their story, too.”

High Valley Vineyards, charm and simplicity makes the wines as attractive as the scenery in which the vines are grown.  If you’re interested in learning more about High Valley Vineyards or would like to become a wine club member, visit their website at www.highvalleywine.com or call (707) 799-5523.