At Ancient Peaks, quality and accountability go hand in hand.
We proudly make wines without shortcuts. It starts in the vineyard with sustainable winegrowing practices, and it continues in the cellar, where we stringently avoid oak chips, concentrates and other adjuncts—all in the name of delivering pure quality.
“In everything we do, we aim to work with the environment, not against it,” says Founding Winemaker Mike Sinor.
A Model of Sustainability
Mike notes that our estate Margarita Vineyard was planted in 2000 by the Robert Mondavi family as a model of sustainability. “The Mondavis were not only California wine pioneers, they were early adopters of the sustainability mindset before it was fashionable,” Mike says. “No native oak trees were removed in the planting of the vineyard, which flows naturally into the landscape of the Santa Margarita Ranch.”
Building upon this heritage, we earned SIP (Sustainability in Practice) Certification for Margarita Vineyard a dozen years ago. Ever since, we have sought to evolve and build upon our efforts to grow wines of the purest quality.
This includes a light touch in the vineyard, with organic nutrient inputs such as seaweed extract and compost. Soil health, air quality, renewable energy and water conservation are all “north stars” that we follow in the vineyard. The resulting fruit reflects a true and unadulterated natural character that serves as the foundation for our wines.
Straight-Up Winemaking
A similar mindset prevails at our winery, where we subscribe to a philosophy of low intervention and minimal inputs.
We use the minimum effective use of sulfur, an essential and common preservative for fine wines. Beyond that, we don’t add enzymes, concentrates or other adulterations to Ancient Peaks wines. Oak influence is derived strictly from traditional oak casks, without the inclusion of oak chips or other shortcuts. We aim to paint the straightest line from ground to glass, fruit to finished wine.
“This is just classic, straight-up winemaking and we’ve stuck to our guns,” Mike says. “It makes the best wines, and we have systems in place to do it sustainably and hold our ourselves accountable.”
The goal is to ultimately provide a true sense of place in our wines. “We don’t want you to wonder about what’s in your glass of Ancient Peaks. We want you to enjoy a pure expression of Margarita Vineyard, as nature intended.”