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Jim and Mary Dierberg are no newcomers to wine. They've owned one of America's oldest wineries, Hermannhof, since 1974. It's located in their home state of Missouri, where Jim was raised in a farming tradition. An initial passion for wine developed during the couple's early trips to Germany during the 1960s. Back home in Missouri, they discovered an old winery in Hermann - founded in 1852 - was for sale, and they bought it. The wines at Hermannhof are good, but the Missouri climate is not conducive to growing the European varietals that have made France and California famous. It was only a matter of time before the couple would seek out a new winemaking perspective. They purchased Star Lane in 1996. After consultation with renowned Central Coast grower Dale Hampton and soil scientist Paul Skinner, the Dierbergs realized that the land was best suited to growing Cabernet and its related varietals. They started with 100 acres.
Later in 1996, they bought a cooler vineyard site better suited to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay a bit farther north in Santa Maria. And in January of 2004, they added a new property in the Santa Rita Hills, also suitable for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. These two vineyards are called, fittingly, Dierberg.
Currently, the winemaking couple are constructing their dream winery on the Star Lane property. It's dug into the hillside for efficient use of energy and will host some 26,000 square feet of caves for barrel aging. The Dierbergs are excited about having a facility that will allow them to do justice to the terroir, which has already proved to be capable of producing wines of great distinction. In 2004 the Dierbergs hired Nick De Luca to be their winemaker and acquired the services of David Ramey as a consultant. Nick's previous winemaking stints include William Seylem, Fisher and Highfield Estates.
The Dierberg labels are the flagship Burgundian wines while the Star Lane labels are Bordeaux varietals grown exclusively on Star Lane Ranch. Three Saints is reserved for more price conscious buyers and is made from declassified Star Lane and Dierberg fruit.
Click here to visit Dierberg
Wines
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