2013 Scholium Project Antle Vineyard Polupous

The Scholium Project was founded in Napa Valley by Abe Schoener, a former college professor with a doctorate in pre-Socratic philosophy. Schoener worked at Stag’s Leap and Luna Vineyards in the late 1990s and early 2000s before making his own wine from sourced grapes beginning in the early 2000s. Along with several partners, Schoener continues to expand his portfolio of offerings of reds, whites and blends. The wines are made in very small quantities and are often given names with references to ancient history.

Monterey AVA is in Monterey County, south of San Francisco. The long, narrow appellation is a 100-mile ribbon of land that extends from north Monterey County south to the edge of Paso Robles. Most of the AVA is considerably inland from the Pacific Coast, and to the east of the Santa Lucia mountain range. About 40,000 vineyard acres are inside the AVA, making it one of California’s larger appellations. Monterey County, in fact, produces almost as much wine as Napa County because the floor of the valley is taken up by large industrial vineyards producing grapes for bulk wine. However, there are also many premier wine estates within Monterey AVA and its numerous sub-appellations. Monterey AVA includes four recognized micro climates, ranging from a cool, maritime climate at the north end to what is known in California as a Region 4 climate in the south, meaning relatively hot and dry. Monterey AVA includes parts of Carmel Valley and Salinas Valley. More than 50% of the grapes grown in the Monterey AVA are Chardonnay, though the many terroirs and micro climates mean that numerous grapes grow well. Merlot, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Zinfandel and Pinot Blanc are widely planted.