Est. 2001. Importer & Distributor of Fine Wine, Craft Spirits, and Ginjo Sake

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Diatom
www.diatomwines.com
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Winemaker, Greg Brewer
Winemaker, Greg Brewer


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Map of Clos Pepe Vineyard
Map of Huber Vineyard
Country of Origin: USA
Location: Santa Rita Hills
People: Greg Brewer, Owner & Winemaker


History: Motivated mostly by a reverence for raw materials, precision, negative space restraint solitude and dynamics, Greg Brewer launched diatom in 2005. He strives to remove all extraneous elements when crafting Chardonnay for this extreme project, to showcase the pure essence of place. Prior to his partnership with Steve Clifton and the formation of Brewer - Clifton in 1995, Greg was a French instructor at the University of California Santa Barbara. In addition to crafting Pinot Noir and Chardonnay under the Brewer-Clifton label, Greg continues to produce highly respected wines for Melville where he has worked since the formation of that winery in 1997.

Vineyards: Vineyards selected for the diatom project are sought out for their ability to serve as voices for place. Through the small and specific sites chosen, there will be a journey through solitude, tranquility and the transitory nature of life. The challenge is to subtract all extraneous elements to arrive at the utmost level of simplicity, serenity and refinement.

Babcock Vineyard: These two small parcels are both located on the mesa adjacent to their facility marked by loam soils above a hard pan of Monterey shale. 1,560 bottles produced.

Huber Vineyard: Planted by Norm and Traudl Huber and farmed by Brewer-Clifton, the soil is virtually pure sand, with the twenty-two year old vines driving deep into the earth. 2,760 bottles produced.

Clos Pepe Vineyard: The one acre parcel from which this wine is conceived is a steep, wind exposed north facing slope planted in a sandy loam soil by the Hagen and Pepe families. 2,760 bottles produced.

Winemaking: In order to maintain this desired purity, fermentation is carried out at a very cold temperature in neutral vessels to retain the most primary attributes of the fruit. Furthermore, malolactic is inhibited to avoid the distraction of that secondary level of evolution. The resultant wine is then aged on its non-disturbed lees for health and protection, and removed just before there is any risk of autolysis which could impart non desirable yeast-like characteristics into the wine. Wines produced in this style often carry small amounts of dissolved CO2 gas in solution. This is a result of their very cold execution and careful processing in the cellar. The fine bubbles will dissipate within a few moments of pouring and are simply a sign of the wine's minimal handling.

Diatom is vegetarian. No egg or fish products are used.
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