It is a band of wine industry insiders dedicated to producing benchmark wines without the cult wine prices. We specialize in finding hidden gems in other wineries' cellars and then blending those barrels to create killer wines. For every barrel we take, we pass on 15 more that don't make the cut.
The secret is that today, high-end wineries can't sell all the wine they make and they don't want to lower prices because they don't want to diminish their brand. They would rather sell some of their wine to us and protect their luxury prices. Fine by us and even better for you.
You'll find Banshee on some of the best restaurant lists in the world and in the cellars of the wine cognoscenti. You know, those people that tend to know these types of things.
In 1996, Jim & Mary Dierberg purchased Star Lane with the vision of planting Cabernet Sauvignon in the mountain canyons of Santa Ynez. Some 10 years later, their pioneering effort was rewarded with the designation of an official AVA: “Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara.” Of course, being so close to the Pacific Ocean in California's “Sideways” wine region, they also planted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for Dierberg Estate wines: in 1997 near the town of Santa Maria, and seven years later in the Sta. Rita Hills. From nearly 500 combined acres, only free-run juice from the best plots is selected for the limited production of Dierberg and Star Lane estate wines. A severe selection of the remaining harvest results in a series of all-estate “second” wines, before the remainder is sold. Drawing their name from the three appellations where the vineyards are located (Santa Ynez, Santa Maria, and Santa Rita Hills), Three Saints wines represent a tremendous value.
Napa - Karl Lawrence California http://www.karllawrence.comTwo very close friends with a common dream of producing a fine wine founded Karl Lawrence Cellars in 1991. The name "Karl Lawrence" comes from combining the middle names of the two founding partners: Michael Karl Trujillo and Bryan Lawrence Henry. Our venture together will have the common goal of producing a unique and outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon wine from the wonderful Napa Valley.
Orin Swift Cellars is the realization of a dream that began while studying abroad at the University of Florence in Florence, Italy. Like so many other college students I was at odds with what to do upon graduation. Fortunately for me, my roommate at the time was from an old wine family in the Sonoma valley and he had a great suggestion: "Why not get into the wine business? You seem to like wine."
Arnot-Roberts was Founded in 2001 in Healdsburg, CA by childhood friends, Duncan Arnot Meyers and Nathan Lee Roberts. The focus is on small lot, vineyard designated Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Chardonnay from Northern Californian vineyards. Sites are carefully chosen and are generally on the cooler end of the spectrum for the planted varieties. Collaboration with dedicated and passionate growers is paramount in the farming of these sites.
Sonoma - Lioco Wines California www.liocowine.com
LIOCO is the result of a years-long conversation between Matt Licklider (a seasoned wine import specialist) and Kevin O'Connor (former wine director at Michelin Two-Star Spago-Beverly Hills) about whether California could produce a true "wine of origin." After gathering opinion on the subject from some of the world's great wine producers, we arrived at our conclusion: California can achieve a wine of origin, provided certain protocols are adhered to--both in the vineyard and in the cellar.
Sonoma - Littorai Wines California www.littorai.com
Our facility is located on 30 stunning acres of rolling hills on a ridge top in the Sonoma Coast American Viticultural Area. The facility is an innovative, environmentally sensitive building constructed of straw bales and using gravity flow for wine production. All of the process waste from winemaking is recycled through a constructed wetlands system and re-used for vineyard and property irrigation. The property where the winery is located is farmed biodynamically and using only organically certified materials. It is farmed as a self sustaining, integrated and diversified farm. This winery site presents a unique opportunity to tour a biodynamic farm and vineyard and learn about this innovative agricultural method.
