Dovecote Estate Winery
Get the Dirt from cellarmaster Jon Flores
“We never tire of drinking our own wine, because the wines always express themselves in new ways, and spark ideas for how we might want to vary our approach in the next vintage.”
What was your first vintage year? 2015
How many cases do you make per vintage? We make around 1100 cases per vintage.
Do you have a Tasting Room? We do hold tastings at our estate. They are by reservation 7 days/week, from 10:30am-3:30pm
Who is your winemaker? Noah Rowles is the owner and winemaker.
What wine/grape made you want to become a winemaker/start your own winery?
The Rhone is our biggest inspiration. Chateau Rayas and Chapoutier are our two greatest influences.
What varietals do you work with? Which varietal/wine is your favorite to make?
Chardonnay, Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Petite Sirah. They’re all our babies, but Syrah in particular has a real affinity for our site and provides us the largest canvas of site expression to play with.
What vineyards do you source from?
We are solely estate. Our site has incredible geologic diversity - flint, limestone, sand, and shale. Additionally, the climatic extremes, particularly our large diurnal shifts, make for compelling and singular growing conditions.
Dovecote Ranch lies in the heart of the Alisos Canyon AVA, just inland from California’s windswept Central Coast on the eastern side of the cool San Antonio Creek Valley in Northern Santa Barbara County. It rests within the Alisos Canyon corridor where transverse mountain ranges flood the area with daily fog and chilled ocean air. The ranch is situated between the small historic towns of Los Alamos to the north, and Los Olivos to the south, and has been home to the celebrated Thompson Vineyard since 1990.
Dovecote’s 250 acres are comprised of no less than ten different soil types, nearly 500 feet of elevation changes, and a bountiful variation of nanoclimates with dramatic 40-50 degree diurnal shifts and daily temperatures across the ranch that can differ by up to 20 degrees.
What type of oak treatment do you use?
We utilize mostly neutral oak. When we do utilize new French or Austrian oak, we are seeking out very low impact cooperage; we want site expression to be at the forefront of our wines.
What do you love about your winemaking region?
Our region has a strong sense of community and a very supportive network of winemakers and growers; there’s an open exchange of ideas and techniques. From a wine-growing standpoint, the diversity of climates and geology allows for a broad range of grapes to express themselves, and there is always something new to explore.
What’s the story behind your winery name / label?
A dovecote is a home for pigeons. When our owner/winemaker Noah first moved to the area, he purchased a home whose previous tenant raced pigeons and had a dovecote on the property. Noah had seen similar structures in Europe and been fascinated by them, but never known what they were used for. As he researched the term further, he learned that in literature, a dovecote refers to a group of people working towards a shared goal together. Thus, we consider ourselves a dovecote here, a unified team working towards a single vision.
What’s so great about being small? What can you do as a small winemaker that wouldn’t be possible for larger wineries?
As a small organization, we can change on a dime as needed. We’re highly adaptable and if we want to explore a new technique/vessel/fermentation style etc., we have the time and care available to manage these very small lot experiments.
How do you view the future in the wine industry for small-lot winemakers?
I think the future looks very bright. Consumers are looking for high-touch experiences, wines produced with craft and care from thoughtfully farmed places, and as a small lot winemaker, we are where the future of the industry is heading.
Do you ever get tired of drinking your own wine?
While we love drinking our peers’ wines, both locally and globally (and think that doing so is very important), we never tire of drinking our own wine, because the wines always express themselves in new ways, and spark ideas for how we might want to vary our approach in the next vintage.
If you could choose another wine region to work in, what would it be?
Hermitage! It’s such a different climate, and the geology is so different from what we have here, it would be great to explore Syrah’s motherland and see how the experience differs from home.
For more information about Dovecote Estate, please visit their website or follow them on Instagram.