THE COMPANY - They are a team of two, (Dave & Becky) that thrive in the mission of creating every piece of CORE from the inside out., involved in every aspect of the family run business. The decision to create their own wine was a natural step…one step further into the wine industry. Their combined experience of 18 years in the world of wine often made them look around and ask themselves…”why not?” In some form or another they had experience in areas of viticulture, grape growing, winemaking, soils, pest management, marketing, sales, public relations, retail, tasting room and they have definitely cracked open their share of wine bottles.
THE BEGINNING “Unlike many of his peers, David's career in the industry didn't start in the cellar or the lab - his introduction was exclusively through the vineyard. In the mid-90's David took his agricultural experience in the salad bowl of California's Central Valley and shifted focus to the vineyards of Santa Barbara County. David started his work in Santa Barbara as a sustainable agriculture consultant at Cambria and then at Kendall-Jackson (David's commitment to earth-friendly practices extends far beyond his vineyard work, as he even commutes to the winery on his bike most of the time). After a few years in Santa Barbara County, David branched out with his own consulting practice and also worked with one of the most highly regarded viticulturist in the area - Jeff Newton of Coastal Vineyard Care. A few years of vineyard work under his belt, David began to turn his attention into the cellar and spent a two harvests working at Central Coast Wine Services - ground zero for Santa Barbara's growing niche of high-end artisan winemakers (David now shares space at CCWS with the likes of Red Car, Hitching Post, Arcadian, just to name a few). With a good foundation in the vineyard and expanding expertise in the winery, David and his wife Becky launched Core Wine Company in 2000 with the goal of making exciting blends modeled after the wines of southern France and Spain. They introduced their first CORE label in 2001. Their focus is working with Mourvedre and Grenache, making blends that feature these varietals and White Rhone Blends. Currently, they farm a 17.5 acre vineyard (Alta Mesa Vineyard - Santa Barbara County) on a long-term lease where the Late Harvest Grenache is planted.
THE VINEYARD Alta Mesa Vineyard is located in eastern Santa Barbara County in the Cuyama Valley, the vineyard sits perched above Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard (formerly Barnwood Vineyards) at 3200 feet in elevation. Directly southwest of the vineyard is a close look of Cuyama Peak at 5300 feet in elevation, a feature of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range and part of the Los Padres National Forest. “As the crow flies, Alta Mesa is approximately 30 miles over the hills from Santa Barbara.” Along with the Mourvedre planted in the vineyard, there is 9.5 acres of Grenache (Tablas clone A on 1103P & 101-14 rootstock). The soils consist of decomposed granite and clay loam with large rocks of schist, quartzite, basalt, and gneiss. There is a massive swing of daily temperatures that is very beneficial to the growing of these grapes, most often a 40 -50° difference between day and night. Daytime high temperatures are lowered by the arrival of cooling breezes from the north at approximately 2:00 in the afternoon. Depending on the time of year, Dave spends anywhere from 12-30 hours a week in the vineyard. With the exception of events like spraying, pruning and harvest, he’s able to do most of the vineyard work himself. While the vineyard is not certified organic, it is managed with organic guidelines in mind. Mildew sprays are minimal and involve the application of both sulfur and potassium bicarbonate. There is no fertilization used on the vines and the weeds have been controlled by mowing, cover crops and hand hoeing. There are four soil moisture monitors in the vineyard and seven temperature sensors. These devices play a vital role in the judicious use of water on the vines. Precise water management is important for warm climates in the thickening of grape skins, helping prevent dehydration during hot weather.
2004 Candy Core
100% Late Harvest Grenache with 10% stem inclusion from the Santa Barbara Highland. Yield of 3 tons per acre.
Aged 18 months in the barrel and 8 months in the bottle. Picked at 37 brix, 17.2% alcohol and less than 1% residual sugar. Goes great with cheese, chocolate and red fruit. 144 cases produced.
Core Winery - 2717 Aviation Way, Santa Maria, CA 93455
