Spring 2017 Dear Friends, with This Inaugural Wine Release From

Spring 2017 Dear Friends, With this inaugural wine release from Reichwage Winery, I am pleased to share with you the story of the Twin Hills Ranch and the results of several years of hard work. When my family purchased the historic Twin Hills property in January of 2014, it had been listed for sale for almost a year. With challenges like water-rights easements, dilapidated buildings, the remnants of a tenant’s hydroponic operation, and serious junk-yard clean-up, other potential buyers had been scared away. However, beneath the clutter and grime we saw an incredible hill-top property with ideal soils for grape growing, and untapped potential. We have put our hearts into improving this property. From the start, I have been farming the orchards and vineyards with only organic materials. This wasn’t an easy transition at first, but now that we are going into our fourth growing season at Twin Hills, everything seems much more manageable, and the vines are positively responding to our organic inputs. Our apple orchard was USDA certified organic in 2016, and in the coming years we will likely certify the vineyards as well. Today, after three and a half years of steady effort, we are so excited to be releasing Reichwage Winery’s first wines, a trio from the Twin Hills Vineyard. We are grateful for your support, as without your patronage this amazing endeavor would not be possible. Best wishes, Max Reichwage The History of Twin Hills, Sebastopol 1850 – Sebastopol area (then called Pine Grove) is settled, the same year the County of Sonoma is officially incorporated. 1870s-1890s – Homesteaders arrive on our hilltop, clearing the land and building the red farm house which still stands today. Crops likely included apples, prunes, berries, wine-grapes and hops (We have found feral grapevine rootstock growing onsite, which supports the grape growing theory). 1885 –Luther Burbank, a botanist and horticulturist, establishes the Gold Ridge Experimental Farm on Pleasant Hill Road just north of Twin Hills 1902 – City of Sebastopol is officially incorporated. 1920s-1930s – Prohibition years and the Great Depression create strong economic pressure to remove the vines and to plant apple trees. 1942-1947 – Darrel Hurst purchases the land adjacent to his family’s house, which was planted to mostly Gravenstein apples, and starts his own farming operation, the Twin Hill Ranch. Colloquially the land is known as “Twin Hills”, referring to the two main ridges that run through the Sebastopol Hills subregion, Pleasant Hill and Spring Hill (aka Sexton Hill). During WWII the ranch continues to grow by supplying dried apples to the troops. Japanese-American internment of Sonoma County residents during WWII significantly alters the population of Sebastopol. 1970s – The Twin Hills packing house is expanded to accommodate a then-modern apple sorting and grading machine. New houses are developed on the southern end of the property and then sold, decreasing the ranch size from 43 to 38 acres. 1983 – The Russian River Valley AVA is established, the same year the Sebastopol Apple Growers Union files for bankruptcy. 1987 – The Sonoma Coast AVA is established. 1998 – Darrel Hurst passes away. His son, Ben Hurst, inherits the Twin Hills property. 1999 – The first vineyard parcels at Twin Hills are planted to Pinot Noir clones 777 & Swan by Ben Hurst, with the grapes being sold to W.H. Smith Winery of Napa, and Chasseur Wines of Sebastopol. 2005 – The Russian River Valley AVA expands to the south, now incorporating the Twin Hills vineyard and the surrounding Sebastopol Hills area into the AVA. 2006 – The Twin Hills property is divided in half; and the southern portion is sold to David Bruce Winery of Los Gatos. An additional 4 acres of Pinot Noir clone ‘828’ is planted at Twin Hills by local vineyard manager Arturo Robledo. 2010 – Ben Hurst sells the Twin Hills property to the Palk family of Sebastopol. 2014 – The Reichwage family purchases the Twin Hills property from the Palks. The property is now 20 acres, with a total of 5 acres of established Pinot Noir vineyards, and 8 acres of apple orchards; Max Reichwage establishes the Reichwage Winery. 2016 –Twin Hills apple orchards are USDA certified organic for the first time. Choosing Between AVAs AVAs or American Viticultural Areas are designated wine growing regions that have defining characteristics. Since the southern expansion of the Russian River Valley in 2005, the Twin Hills property has fallen within the overlaping Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley AVAs. Currently, we feel that our hill-top position (350-400 ft) and proximity to the Pacific Ocean (9 miles), are best represented by the Sonoma Coast AVA. In the future, we hope the creation of a Sebastopol Hills sub-AVA will allow us to more accurately describe our distinct region of western Sonoma County. Twin Hills Farm House, 1950, featuring Darrel Hurst, three of his children, and his new forklift a novelty in the region at the time (Photo: Sonoma County Historical Society) Twin Hills Farm House, 2016 (Photo: Sara Sanger) Inaugural Release Wines 2016 ROSÉ OF PINOT NOIR Our first release of Rosé is from select rows of the Twin Hills Vineyard. The Pinot Noir grapes were foot-stomped, allowed to rest for a couple hours, and then whole cluster pressed to produce a fleshy, pink-colored rosé. The Pinot Noir juice was fermented with native yeasts in older French oak barrels, and allowed to age on the lees for six months. A perfect accompaniment for a light summer meal or just enjoying the great outdoors. Notes of white flower, zesty citrus rind, and fresh strawberry; youthful on the palate with mouthwatering acidity. If you are a fan of Rosé, be sure to order some while it lasts, as we only made three barrels! Alc. 13.5% by vol. $24/bottle 2014 SONOMA COAST PINOT NOIR The '14 Pinot Noir, which captures the essence of the Sonoma Coast AVA, was labeled as a regional wine, and is all sourced from the Twin Hills Vineyard. The wine was made with 20% whole cluster inclusion, 10% new oak, and an élevage of 19 months. It shows complex aromas of cherry, pomegranate, lilacs, baking spice, chocolate, and notes of forest floor. A liveliness dominates the palate, and is matched with moderate tannins. This is an accessible Pinot Noir that may prove to age quite well due to its naturally high acidity. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, alc. 13.5% by vol. $32/bottle 2015 TWIN HILLS VINEYARD PINOT NOIR Due to the cold weather during flowering, we suffered staggeringly low yields in 2015, with clusters comprising of mostly seedless berries. The Twin Hills Vineyard Pinot Noir was fermented with native yeasts, with 15% whole cluster included and aged in 12% new oak for 18 months. This deeply colored wine possesses fabulous density and concentration for Pinot Noir, while maintaining a fresh, lively finish. Owing to the distinct character of this wine, we chose to vineyard designate it. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, we recommend decanting this wine due to natural sediments, alc. 13.6% by vol. $48/bottle To order our wine please visit: http://www.reichwage.com/order/ As a thank you for being a Reichwage Winery supporter from day one, we would like to extend free shipping on all orders over $150 placed during the month of May. To redeem, simply enter the promo code TWINHILLS at checkout. Note: we are currently unable to ship to MA, ND, NH, & UT .

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