Our Vineyards
The grapes used to make Rominger West wines are all grown in Yolo County in vineyards farmed by Bruce and Rick Rominger. Our vineyards are all located in the western part of the county, north of the town of Winters, in the lower hills of the Coast Range. The long growing season in this region is characterized by warm to hot day time temperatures, and very cool night time temperatures. This environment allows us to develop fully ripe flavors in all of our varieties. Careful farming, and a close collaboration with the winery, maintains the acid balance in the grapes and maximizes wine quality.
Arnold Vineyard
The Arnold vineyard was originally planted in 1998 as a certified nursery expansion block, to propagate new vines. The planting material was imported from France and represents some of the best material certified by L'Etablissement National Technique pour l'Amélioration de la Viticulture (ENTAV), the French government funded program established in 1962 to characterize and improve the vineyards of France. The Arnold vineyard, located about 7 miles north of Winters, is planted on deep, nutrient-rich soils and has 29 clones of 14 different varieties, on a total of 16 acres. We harvest Chardonnay, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Grenache Noir, Mourvedre, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Malbec from this vineyard.
Chapman Hill Vineyard
The Chapman Vineyard is divided into two adjacent blocks, the western ‘Hill’ block on the low foothills of the Coast Range and the eastern ‘Flat’ block on an alluvial plateau between two seasonal creeks. The Chapman Hill vineyard represented the first collaboration, from site selection through vineyard development, between our founding partners, Mark West and Charlie Rominger. The vines are planted on a southwest to northeast orientation to create even sun exposure on the canopy, while protecting the grapes from direct sunlight during the hottest time of the day. This ten acre, rocky, low-fertility site is located south of Chickahominy Creek, and is the source of our most intense red grapes including Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Malbec, Merlot and Lagrein. Located about five miles northwest of Winters, this vineyard was planted in 2001.
Chapman Flat Vineyard
An additional nursery block for ENTAV, Chapman Flat is situated just east of the Chapman hill block, and contains 14 clones of 11 different varieties. The first four acres in this vineyard were planted in 2000 and we select Grenache, Cabernet Franc and Tannat grapes from this section. In 2007, we expanded this block by adding four acres of Grenache Blanc vines, which will increase our production of this wine in the 2008 season. The wild turkeys prefer this vineyard. We see dozens of them here almost every day in the summer and fall.
Herren Vineyard
Located in the beautiful Capay Valley, the Herren Vineyard is an organically farmed vineyard planted to Syrah, Mourvedre, and Grenache. This 1.3 acre vineyard was designed to produce a Rhone style “vineyard blend” with all the fruit from the vineyard co-fermented to create a unique wine. The vineyard was planted in 2001 with the first commercial harvest in 2004. All of the grapes grown on this vineyard are incorporated into the Herren Vineyard Red Blend.
