Listening to the Land
At Pence, we are guided by the concept of terroir, a French term that encompasses the location and environmental influences determining grape quality, and underscores what for us has become an imperative: to exclusively and methodically farm our estate vineyard with the precision necessary to produce exceptional fruit, which will become great wine that will age gracefully.
As the primary focus of a 200-acre working ranch, Pence vineyard currently consists of 45 acres of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Gamay in the Santa Rita Hills AVA, a sunny, yet Pacific-cooled and windy microclimate in north Santa Barbara County. Planting began in 2006, with continuous expansion and improvement ever since. The vineyard is situated on an elevated plateau composed of virgin soils fed by an ancient deep aquifer, with varying slopes and sun aspects in every direction. We purposefully parcelized it to create small, homogeneous blocks that are individually farmed to produce consistent fruit of exceptional quality. Since inception, it has been meticulously tended by our full-time, resident crew, who know every inch of every block, farming biotically and fortifying the soils through mineral balancing rather than systemic fertilization.
We rely on old-world techniques enhanced by modern technology and precision instruments.
The soil complexity, topography, and climate (collectively, terroir) of Pence Vineyards reflect the diversity of a much larger geographic area – in effect, a microcosm of the entire Santa Rita Hills AVA. Using cutting edge technology to maximize this opportunity, we took great pains to design and plant the vineyard block by block, row by row and selection by selection to not only capture the nuances of the site, but to allow for its evolution. Each block is continuously monitored and the results are evaluated annually to determine what opportunities exist for further improvement.
The singularity of our terroir demands this treatment and results in wines that fully reflect their individual climats, displaying both balance and ageability.
Notes on Vineyard Blocks
The 45-acre Pence Estate vineyard is comprised of 24 distinct blocks, ranging in size from one-half acre to four acres. Each polygon block is farmed individually – some are spur pruned while others are cane pruned – with separate, distinct viticultural protocols specific to each one.
Pinot Noir comprises 26.5 acres divided into ten unique blocks featuring deep clay soils and limited to southerly and westerly sun aspects. This combination of excellent water and nutrient retaining soils with more intense sunlight promotes richness and balance in the wines akin to the effect of marbling in a Wagyu steak.
Chardonnay covers 12.2 acres split into nine blocks, primarily situated at higher elevations in the center of the vineyard featuring calcareous (limestone) soils. The leaner dirt, elevated wind pressure, and northerly sun aspects combine to inflict greater environmental stress, fostering the minerality and acidity characteristic of classic white Burgundies.
Our obsession with quality extends to the sourcing of budwood for each block. Rather than rely upon nursery stock of pre-grafted vines, we grow our own rootstock and field graft cuttings carefully selected from the original vineyard sources (Mt. Eden, Calera, etc.). For us, this expensive and time-consuming process is more than justified by the observable difference in quality.
Our Pinot blocks feature eight carefully selected clones grafted to five different rootstocks, each matched to the specific soils profile of its block. Notable parcels include our flagship Penny label, Unum, planted to Dijon clone 667, and Fugio, its Pommard vines climbing some of our steepest slopes. Our other two Penny label Pinots, Heritage and Détente, are each a blend of two adjacent blocks specifically farmed to complement one another, while the Estate blend relies on a greater variety to express the overall terroir.
The Pence Chardonnay blocks include six clones grafted to three specific rootstocks. Three Penny labels, Rosa (Mt. Eden), Liberté (Burgundy Clone 76), and Massale (a classic Burgundian field blend of Wente and 548) are produced, along with our classic Estate blend. Given their high acidity and palpable structure, these wines are known for their unusual ability to age potentially as long as their red brethren.
Vineyard Map
The most complex wines are created from vines grown on hillsides and challenged by their environments. Though more expensive to plant and difficult to farm than lowland fruit, the qualitative difference is clearly evident. Elevations in the Pence Estate Vineyard range from 300 to 800 feet, with grades in some blocks as steep as 40%.
Given its irregular shape, steep slopes, and multiple sun aspects, planning our vineyard site was already a great challenge. When forty-seven exploratory pits revealed nearly as many different soil profiles, we turned to cutting edge science, becoming the very first vineyard in Santa Barbara County to do so.
The final vineyard configuration is the result of layering of computer-generated data – analyzing the chemical and structural soils composition, slope, wind pressure, and sun aspects. Given this uncompromising approach, the results have been remarkable, with unprecedented canopy and fruit consistency achieved within each block.
STA. Rita Hills AVA
Located in Santa Barbara County on California’s Central Coast, the Santa Rita Hills AVA is home to some 59 vineyards spreading over approximately 2,700 acres. It boasts the perfect environment to grow cool climate grapes like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay thanks to the Pacific’s marine layer and ocean breezes.