Winemaker Notes
Union Sacre exists at the meeting of worlds. Made by two long time friends, Xavier and Philip, who arrived at the Central Coast from opposite ends of the Earth. Xavier is a WSET certified, oenology degree holding ex-boxer from France, Philip is a self-taught designer from Michigan who kind of misses living in a van.
Between the two of them, Xavier and Philip have 25+ years experience working in Central Coast wineries. Xavier has been cellar master or assistant winemaker for some of the Central Coasts most luminous wineries, including: Sans Liege, Arcadian and Herman Story. Philip cut his teeth at Proof Wine Collective before taking on the creative director role at Herman Story and Desparada. The wines of Union Sacre are focused on elegant, single vineyard, single varietal wines that are table friendly. Varietals include: Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Sangiovese.
Union Sacre is an homage to beauty’s odd ability to build unexpected bridges. These are not wines of privilege and power, these are wines made from a lifetime of labor for the untelevised tables that unite the very heart of the world.
Named after the dramatic, seasonal river of rain and snowmelt that cuts through the upper elevations of the Santa Lucia Mountains, the Arroyo Seco AVA extends east from the resultant mountain gorge, and into the rural and warm Salinas Valley. During the growing season, cool and damp Pacific Ocean air penetrates the gorge and flows into the valley, creating a cool evening respite for vineyards after a hot summer day. This natural water-release has also created a subterranean aquifer, which helps set the foundation of the AVA's boundaries and supplies the vineyards with water.
Arroyo Seco was actually home to the first commercial vineyard in California, called Mission Ranch, which was owned and propogated by the Mirassou family in the 1960s.
Chardonnay is most widely grown here. But as one of Monterey’s warmer regions, Arroyo Seco enjoys the highest praise for its reds, namely Bordeaux blends.
Arroyo Seco is one of the oldest AVAs in California, its status granted in the early 1980s, and also remains one of its smallest.
Gewürztraminer, an expressive and aromatically distinctive white grape variety, is considered a noble variety in the Alsace region of France, and produces wonderful wines in the mountainous Alto Adige region of NE Italy. Generally this grape grows well in cooler regions and its natural intensity makes it a great ally for flavorful cuisine such as Indian, Middle Eastern or Moroccan. Somm Secret—Because of a charming perfume and tendency towards slight sweetness, Gewürztraminer makes for an excellent gateway wine for those who love sweet wines but want to venture into the realm of drier whites.