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Our Clients
At Snows Lake Vineyard, we know that our grapes are only as good as the wines they make. With this in mind, we make every effort to provide both the grape quality and customer service that allows our client wineries to make the best possible wine from our remarkable fruit. It is yet another way that Snows Lake Vineyard has become a recognized leader in the viticulture of the Mayacamas Mountains.Today, as the vineyard reaches full production, we are pleased to see this vineyard bear fruit, both literally and metaphorically. The grapes we farm so carefully now go into the wines of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Cakebread Cellars, Rosenblum Cellars, La Famiglia, and Dynamite Vineyards—wines that are winning national and international acclaim for both our client wineries, and our vineyard.
Kent Rosenblum has specifically noted Snows Lake as a vineyard to watch. "Now all the top Napa Cab producers are growing there (in Lake County), and I am very hot on Snows Lake." Cary Nederman, tasting for winose.com at the 2005 ZAP tasting wrote about Kent's Rosenblum Cellars Red Mountain Snows Lake Vineyard Zinfandel 2004 Barrel Sample: "Kent Rosenblum for President! Here's the massive fruit Zin style that Rosenblum (and a few others, such as Turley and Biale) are known for, multiplied exponentially. I know, I know, it's a barrel sample, but even if it calms down a bit, it is going to be an important contribution to the 'greatest hits' of the Rosenblum folks. My tasting notes read: 'Fruit, and spice, and everything nice.' Say no more."
Bruce Cakebread is another top winemaker who is enthusiastic about Snows Lake Vineyard. "We are excited about Reds Hills and its potential to yield superlative Zinfandels. It's a great red wine appellation," Bruce says. "The sites are unique due to their elevation and steep slopes, and the views are stunning. When you combine the ideal exposures, radiant sunlight, cool evenings and incredible red, rocky soils, you've got something really special. We think Red Hills will become the next 'hot' Zinfandel appellation, so it's good for us to be a pioneer. It's going to be a fun journey."
The 2004 Cakebread Zinfandel Red Hills Lake County is Cakebread Cellars' first Zinfandel since 1994. The fruit comes from blocks of Snows Lake Vineyard that were planted to three special clones of Zinfandel, including Primitivo and Heritage clones from Amador and Mendocino counties. With an elevation over 2,100 feet, a perfect southwestern exposure, and magnificent, rocky, red volcanic soils, it's a perfect site for Zinfandel, which further benefits from the vineyard's warm, sunny days and cooling afternoon and evening breezes from nearby Clear Lake.
And legendary Napa Valley Cabernet producer Stag's Leap Wine Cellars has also released a wine from Snows Lake Vineyard: the 2003 Hawk Crest Cabernet Sauvignon Red Hills Lake County. The Winiarski family has produced Hawk Crest wines since 1974 and over the years has carefully selected specific vineyards in some of California's most promising growing areas. "This high elevation vineyard, with red gravelly loam soil and rolling volcanic terrain, is particularly suited for growing superior Cabernet Sauvignon and produces compact clusters with small berries, well-structured tannins, and rich fruit flavors that inspire a minimalist approach in the cellar," say Proprietor Warren Winiarski and Hawk Crest winemaker Mark Smith.
As these and other top wineries use Snows Lake fruit in their wonderful wines, the story of Snows Lake Vineyard continues to develop into a true success story on the slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains.