Vineyard | Our Sonoma Mountain Estate Red is a Demeter-certified Biodynamic® wine produced entirely from the Benziger Family Estate. The Sonoma Mountain appellation is one of the smallest and most exclusive appellations in California. We produce three red wines from our estate: Tribute – the winery’s
flagship wine, Sonoma Mountain Red and Joaquin’s Inferno Estate Zinfandel.

The four Aristotelian elements: earth, water, air and fire believed by ancient civilizations (and supported by today’s science) to make up all objects in the universe are the icons and benchmarks of this wine. We believe that every place on earth has a different combination of earth (soil), water (bonds a plant to its environment), air (light) and fire (warmth). When these elements are united in ideal ratios, the fifth element
(spirit) appears – the ultimate expression of our connection to the land.

Vinification: | Sonoma Mountain Red is a blend of wines that showcases the diverse and healthy environment in and around the Benziger Family Estate - of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Cabernet
Franc, 12% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot. This wine is made with the most traditional hands-on methods. The grapes were hand sorted in the vineyard, fermented in small tanks and serviced by hand with love and care. Native yeast and malolactic bacteria were employed throughout. The wine was aged for 19 months in French oak - about 30% of the barrels were brand new- and bottled in May of 2006.

Vintage | The amount of rainfall, though early, was normal. Dry weather reigned from March, the warmest March on record, to October. The warm weather jump-started the growing season, making farmers nervous (more much time for things to go badly). Things did cool down for spring extending bloom. Periods of long bloom affect uniformity in reds causing a potential of uneven ripening within an individual grape cluster. In our vineyards, we ‘green drop’ to balance the crop and eliminate late ripening fruit at the end of verasion. Summer was moderate without any heat waves; but it was humid raising concerns of mildew. By the end of July it was evident that an early harvest was upon us. High temperatures are not unusual in late summer and early fall but humidity under 20% is very unusual. In fact the average low humidity over the previous
five years didn’t go below 30%. Extended periods of hot, dry weather are difficult for a grapevine to endure. With almost two weeks of 10 - 20% humidity in late August and September, mildew was now the least of concerns! Grape sugar was soaring before flavors had matured; our growers did a great job sustaining vineyards until flavors developed. By the end of September we were evaluating an outstanding vintage. 2004 is a vintage of ripe and well-developed flavors with the best overall quality in years.

Benziger Farming Practices | Benziger’s Sonoma Mountain estate was the first certified Biodynamic® vineyard in Napa and Sonoma. In addition to their Sonoma Mountain estate, Benziger sources grapes from a long established network of local wine growers. Knowing sustainable farming practices lead to more distinctive flavors in wines, Benziger Family Winery has launched a high-level sustainable farming program. The program, Farming for Flavors™, challenges the wine industry to make wines of distinction and that are more environmentally responsible. This is a commitment that has been 10 years in the making and demands all Benziger growers act at a higher level of sustainable farming than required by any
other winery or wine industry standard.