Accolades

2011-12-20

Special gifts for wine lovers

Latigo 2006 Dessert Wine: Hawk and Horse makes an impressive Red Hills Lake County cabernet sauvignon, so it's no surprise they would excel with a port-style wine made from their same biodynamically farmed mountain grapes. Fortifying it with high-proof brandy, the lot is then aged 26 months in new French oak for aging. Owners Mitch and Tracey Hawkins clearly love horses and Latigo is a term for a supple leather strap that hangs off the left (or “port”) side of a Western saddle. Clever, eh? The wine is deliciously worthy of such a name, smelling sweetly of leather and spice and full of black chocolate, caramel and ripe cherry flavor. If you've got a cigar lover in your life, this would be a good match. Only 200 cases made. 16 percent alcohol and 13 percent residual sugar.

By VIRGINIE BOONE
FOR THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

2011-11-11

Hawk and Horse Vineyards

Hawk and Horse Vineyards was really the dream of owner, David Boies. His love of wine and of California’s North Coast wine growing region drove him to seek out a unique property that would support a vineyard of world class distinction. In 1982, after exhaustive searching he purchased what was then known as the historic El Roble Grande Ranch in Lower Lake, California. At that time, El Roble Grande was a rather run-down abandoned horse breeding facility situated on 900 acres of wilderness.

David’s vision of perfect growing conditions, such as rich soil, fresh water and clean air, transcended preconceived notions about county affiliations. David saw the high elevation sites, red volcanic soils, on-site water sources, pristine air and the rugged natural beauty of this most special place, and realized this was a land of great potential. His vision saw the opportunity to create something very unique and authentic from this wild land and that vision has now come to fruition....Read More

2011-12-12

Winery concentrates on clean water, fresh air to produce quality wine

Mitch Hawkins gets excited about water. Clean, pure, fresh spring water, which feeds his animals, his land, his family and his grapes. And don’t get him started about the air.

Located 45 minutes north of Sonoma, nestled in the county voted as having the cleanest air in the country, is a unique little pocket of land seemingly created for making great wine.

And then there’s the soil.

“It’s unlike any other – it’s very true to our terroir and very, very site-specific to us,” said Hawk and Horse Vineyard owner, Mitch Hawkins. “The Red Hill AVA is a magnificent site. It’s been voted the cleanest air in the country. We have our own spring water flowing right out of the mountain, which is just clean, pure and unbelievable. The soil profile is just magnificent. It’s the soil people get really excited about.”

Along with his wife, Tracey, and her stepfather, David Boies, the three co-owners created a single-vineyard 100 percent cabernet sauvignon. They also make a cabernet sauvignon dessert wine. Their winery has been biodynamic from the beginning....Read More

2011-11-01

94 Points - Publisher's Picks

Hawk and Horse Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Hills–Lake County

Imagine violets and roses arising out of red volcanic soils: it happens in this dusty red. A garden of blueberry is not far behind. It ends on some daring, gritty tannins with a lemon peel edge. A rare breed.