T. Berkley Wines is a California ode to the Loire Valley and its world-renowned, site-specific, unparalleled Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc. Their mission is to create elegant, textural wines with a sense of place, from sustainably farmed vineyards across Northern California including Mendocino, the North Coast, and Oak Knoll.
Taylor Berkley Boydstun founded T. Berkley Wines after extensive experience at some of the best wineries in the world. He studied at Felton Road in Central Otago, Weingut Knoll in the Wachau, and in his California home, Sonoma's beloved Littorai. He was later joined by his equally accomplished wife Sarah Bray, a wine educator and writer, who has worked with the likes of Passopisciaro, Champagne Philipponnat, and Iron Horse Vineyards. She is a founding member of the women-in-wine organization Bâtonnage Forum and the director of the Wine Writers' Symposium.
Upon it's founding in 2016, their first plot of grapes was old-vine (1980) Chenin Blanc from Ukiah, though Taylor's passion and inspiration comes from Cabernet Franc. Outside of certain French appellations it's a grape often relegated to blends, especially in California where the persistent sun can cause over-ripening. With careful attention to sugar levels and strategic harvests, Taylor produces Cabernet Francs that are expressive, rustic, and unapologetically earth-driven.
T. Berkley prioritizes minimal-intervention techniques to allow the nuanced characteristics of the grapes to shine. Depending on the cuvée, fermentation is done destemmed or whole-cluster, but always with indigenous yeasts. The wines are aged in a mix of amphorae, concrete egg, stainless steel, and French oak to best suit the needs of each bottling. The resulting wines are vibrant representations of California-meets-Loire, with their striking flavors and old-world distinction.
Products:
