Beauregard Vineyards at Bonny Doon in the Santa Cruz Mountains: Current Releases
Winemaker Ryan Beauregard grew up on the family’s ranch in the small community of Bonny Doon (named after The Banks O’Doon written by Scottish poet Robert Burns) in the western Santa Cruz Mountains. The Beauregard Ranch Vineyard was farmed by Ryan’s great grandfather beginning in 1945, but the family didn’t produce wine until Ryan started doing so in 1999. We recently sat down with Ryan to explore his portfolio at the tasting room in Bonny Doon near Santa Cruz, a 100+ year old former General store purchased along with a 20 thousand case winery from winemaker Randall Grahm in 2008.
Jim Beauregard
This autumn the Beauregards will celebrate the family’s 79th harvest from Beauregard Ranch. Ryan grew up surrounded by some spectacular vines cultivated by his father Jim, but he didn’t recognize their true worth until he started making his own wine. At age 23, he established the winery and began the winemaking journey that has led to the style he prefers today: structured, mineral like wines that reveal freshness and the influence of the nearby cold Pacific. The wines have received numerous accolades (including our own!), the result of Ryan’s meticulous winemaking and his father Jim’s equally meticulous viticulture.
The Vineyards
The Beauregard Ranch Vineyard is one of three owned by the family and managed by Ryan’s father, Jim, within the Ben Lomond Mountain AVA, a sub-AVA of the Santa Cruz Mountains. It sits at 1700-1850’ on a southwest facing slope of sandy loam soils exposed to the Pacific Ocean and Monterey Bay. This 17-acre vineyard dates from the 1880s when it was first planted by Fritz Quistorf who ironically was married to a relation of Robert Burns, Maggie Burns. In 1940, UC Davis planted an experimental vineyard on the ranch. Ryan’s great grandfather Amos Beauregard purchased the vineyard in 1949 and planted Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Today it is predominantly planted to the Pinot Noir clones 115, 667 and Pommard with smaller amounts of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.
Bald Mountain Vineyard
In 1989, Jim Beauregard and his father Emmet planted the 40-acre Bald Mountain Vineyard surrounded by Redwoods at 923-1111’ on a southwest facing slope of white sandy Zayante soil. Predominantly planted to Chardonnay’s Old Wente Clone, the wines are notable for their minerality. The family leased the vineyard until 2020 when they purchased and replanted it. The sandy soils offer protection from phylloxera, so the vines are self-rooted.
The 18-acre Coast Grade Vineyard was planted by in 2008 to Pinot Noir clones 828, 667, 115 and Pommard at 1238-1350’ on a southwest facing slope just 3 miles from the ocean. It has sandy loam soils over a bedrock of limestone about 10’ below. 2008 is the same year that the family purchased the Bonny Doon winery from Randall Graham.
The Ben Lomond Mountain AVA
Approved by the ATF in 1988, the Ben Lomond Mountain AVA, lies entirely within the Santa Cruz Mountains viticultural area. About 15 miles along and 4 miles wide, it sits on the coastal edge of the Santa Cruz Mountains and consists of mountainous terroir at 1300-2600’, above the fog line. Its location on the windward side of the mountains captures much of the precipitation from marine air resulting in the highest average rainfall in Santa Cruz County at 60 inches. The elevation and marine influence ensure a cool growing climate, significant diurnal temperature variation, and extended growing season.
Commercial winegrowing started in the 1880s with the Ben Lomond Wine Company which had 400 acres under vine by the end of the century. Prohibition largely killed off winegrowing, which largely disappeared by the 1960s. However, in 1972, the UC Agricultural Extension Service released a study that identified Ben Lomond Mountain as a prime growing region for wine grapes, leading to a resurgence in planting. While the UC study was catalytic, the region had been identified as having the potential to make Chablis-like Chardonnays almost a century earlier. In 1989, Frona Eunice Waite Colburn published Wines and Vines of California, which called Ben Lomond Mountain a “future Chablis district” and said it makes “…the only wine in California which has the thin, delicate, flinty dryness of a true Chablis.” Jim Beauregard played a lead role in the AVA application process.
The Wines
Ryan’s wines are all made using native yeasts, native malo and fermented without temperature control resulting in some hot fermentations, which produces the mineral like, savory style he prefers. The wines are not distributed. About 60% of sales are through the winery’s club and 40% through the tasting room.
Beauregard 2021 Chardonnay Metallique Ben Lomond Mountain Santa Cruz Mountains ($65) 94 This crisp, mineral-like wine offers a depth of flavor and refined mouth feel seldom found in California unwooded Chardonnays. It’s very fresh with concentrated orchard fruit flavors and impressive phenolics. Sourced from the Bald Mountain Vineyard’s self-rooted Old Wente Clone on the fog line at about 1200?, fermented and aged in stainless steel. 12.5% alc.
Beauregard 2021 Chardonnay Bald Mountain Vineyard Ben Lomond Mountain Santa Cruz Mountains ($65) 95 Made from 30-year-old vines of the Old Wente Clone grown on its own roots, this is a very focused, impressive Chardonnay. The bouquet shows ripe orchard fruit with hints of orange zest and lemon, while the palate shows a chewy, mouth filling texture with firm edged flavors; rich extract shows on a persistent finish. Fermented hot in tank with 50% malo; matured on the lees with not much stirring for 24 months in 20% new oak followed by racking and additional aging in stainless steel. 13.8% alc.
Beauregard 2021 Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains ($45) 93 Made only from the 115 clone grown in the Coast Grade Vineyard, this is a silky, pure wine showing lovely red cherry fruit. Delicate and focused, it also shows a light earthy note and a beautiful, long finish. Sourced from the bottom of the Coast Grade Vineyard, all 115 clone picked last, fermented 100% whole cluster and matured in all neutral oak. 13.5% alc.
Beauregard 2021 Pinot Noir Beauregard Ranch Ben Lomond Mountain Santa Cruz Mountains ($65) 94 Medium ruby red. A fine and elegant Pinot Noir showing pure red fruit with hints of earth and a mineral-like focus. Refined mouth feel and a long, rich finish. Hand harvested, foot crushed and fermented using native yeasts with 30% whole clusters and aged 19 months in 20% new oak. 12.5% alc.
Beauregard 2021 Pinot Noir Coast Grade Vineyard Ben Lomond Mountain Santa Cruz Mountains ($65) 95 Medium red garnet. Red fruited, aromatic bouquet of berries, pomegranate, dried red cherry, and herbal notes. Silky on the attack with lovely purity and depth. An elegant wine with excellent acidity and balance and perfect weight for Pinot Noir. Fermented 30% whole clusters using native yeast and matured 20 months in 25% new French oak. 13.5% alc.
Beauregard 2019 Zinfandel Beauregard Ranch Ben Lomond Mountain Santa Cruz Mountains ($35) 92 Pure and red fruited on the nose. Red and black berries, pomegranate, and floral notes on the palate with bright acidity and super purity. Very approachable now. Matured in neutral French oak puncheons. 14.8% alc.
