The Producers Behind California’s Volcanic Wines
Sol Rouge was mentioned in this Wine Enthusiast Magazine article about the wines from grapes grown in volcanic soils.
Sol Rouge Vineyard & Winery
Vines Struggle so Wines Soar
When Bryan Kane, co-owner/winemaker of Sol Rouge, is asked if the volcanic soil in his estate vineyard creates a volcanic flavor in the wine, he dismisses the thought.
“I don’t think so,” he says. “I don’t taste it. I think that [the soil] makes you able to control your grape growing much better.”
The six acres of vines that Kane and co-owner Jill Brothers bought in 2005 and planted in 2006 on a steep slope in the Red Hills Lake County AVA struggled to thrive, even with drip irrigation.
Eventually, however, the vines put down roots, and that initial struggle has apparently paid off handsomely. The 1,200-case operation has earned 90–94 points for 32 of its 39 Lake County wines to date. It’s a list that includes Estate Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Cinsault, plus Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The 70-acre property is perched on a lower slope of Mount Konocti, and it provides Kane and Brothers plenty of room for a planned expansion of vines. Kane makes the wines at a nearby production cellar, many of which are offered in a tasting room on Treasure Island in the middle of San Francisco Bay, three hours away by car.
His wines offer generous flavors and nicely rounded textures. Kane says he chooses harvest dates based on the taste of the grapes, performs native yeast fermentations, ages in French oak with no more than 25% new barrels and racks the wine as little as possible.
It’s these non-interventionist methods that help to fully express the quality of the grapes, he says.
“We’re not just trying to grow the berry, we’re trying to grow the characteristics of that berry,” says Kane. “And I think the deeper root systems help with that.”