Jimsomare

AVA
Santa Cruz Mountains
Decade
1900s
County
Santa Clara
Current Owner
Schwabacher Family
Planted by
Pierre Klein
Location Notes

Montebello Rd. at Steven’s Canyon Road

Wineries

Mira Valle

Historical Producers

Ridge

Characteristics

Pepper, spice, wild berry on the nose, lively acidity, ages very well

Description

This property was purchased in 1888 by Pierre Klein, an Alsatian who owned the Occidental Restaurant in San Francisco. Klein was also an ardent advocate for good California wine at a time when most California wines were mediocre and labeled as phony French wine in order to sell. His Mira Valle Cabernets won medals at expositions in Bordeaux, Brussels, Paris, and Atlanta. Combined with the success of his neighbor Oseo Perrone’s Monte Bello winery and Emmett Rixford in nearby Woodside, Klein’s efforts gave wines from the Santa Cruz Mountains a reputation that stands to this day. The Schwabacher family purchased the property and helped to resurrect the Zinfandel vines with help from Ridge. Ridge has made wine from these vines every year since 1964. This Zinfandel selection is preserved as a Heritage Zinfandel Clone.

Phone
408-868-1360
Submitted by
David Gates, Jr.
Certified