Beauregard Vineyards began harvesting estate Chardonnay from the family’s Beauregard Ranch in the early morning hours of September 1, in a blanket of fog. For Winemaker Ryan Beauregard, who grew up on the Bonny Doon ranch where his father, Jim, still lives, this day represents not only his 23rd harvest, but also a profound departure from last year, when the CZU fire nearly wiped out his entire livelihood, home and vineyards. Due to the unrelenting smoke and ash, last year’s beautiful crop was rendered unusable, but efforts by Ryan and his stalwart neighbors saved the vineyards.
Says Beauregard, “This is a proud moment for my family as we celebrate our 76th harvest from a property that was originally planted in the 1880s by the Queistorff family. It’s amazing to think that grapes have been harvested from this land for 135 years! We may have lost all our crop last year, but we are going to do our best to make the finest wine ever from this vintage.”
He has something to aspire to, as Wine Enthusiast just released their scores for Beauregard’s latest submissions, and the 2019 Beauregard Ranch Chardonnay ($60) was just awarded 95 points, its highest score ever. The sister Chardonnay from the family’s Bald Mountain Vineyard ($60) scored 96 points, also its highest score ever.
The Beauregard family also owns the Slow Coast Wine Bar in Davenport, on Highway 1
For more info, visit www.beauregardvineyards.com