2011 Hammell Wine Alliance True Believer, 1.5ltr

Hammell Wine Alliance is a new venture from Chris Hammell, the renowned vineyard manager of Bien Nacido, one of California’s most prestigious vineyards. The Santa Maria Valley Bien Nacido vineyard is the source for grapes used by dozens of outstanding producers, including Sine Qua Non. Hammell Wine Alliance is Chris Hammell’s own label, and he is running the operation with his family and friends. His wines come from a newly planted parcel next door to Bien Nacido, and the focus is on Rhone-style blends. The wines so far released have been well reviewed. Wine Advocate called the 2011 debut wine a “killer effort” and rated it at 94 pts.

Central Coast AVA is a huge wine producing area that extends from Santa Barbara County in the south to San Francisco in the north. With more than 100,000 vineyard acres, it includes parts of six counties near the Pacific Ocean. Nearly 20 smaller AVAs lie within the Central Coast AVA. Central Coast earned appellation status in 1985. Included in the appellation are parts of the counties of Contra Costa, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz. Nearly every grape varietal grown in California is grown somewhere in the Central Coast AVA, though Chardonnay accounts for nearly 50% of the entire wine grape crop.