August 1, 2006

The unpredictable nature of the 2003 growing season began with a series of early heat spikes in March, followed by the wettest April on record. A long cool summer allowed the fruit flavors to evolve beautifully ahead of the sugar accumulation. Heat spikes in September helped move the harvest forward after many felt it would be a late year.

Harvest Dates: September 23-30, 2003

Long Meadow Ranch Bear Canyon Vineyard (79%)
Long Meadow Ranch Church Vineyard (21%)

Aged in new and used (50/50) French oak by Seguin-Moreau for 18 months. Medium toast.

13.9 Percent

2000 cases

Elegant with deep garnet color “Bordeaux-like” with tea, cedar, and ripe black fruit. Powerful tannins give full-bodied mouth feel. Finishes smoothly with complex earthiness knitted with dark fruit. - Ashley Heisey

Southwest-facing estate vineyards at 1100 feet elevation atop the Mayacamas Mountains at the edge of Bear Canyon. Development of the historic sites began in 1990 with the Bear Canyon Vineyard. Managed by organic pioneer Frank Leeds. Budwood was hand-selected from the Bella Oaks Vineyard in Rutherford and Jordan Vineyard in Alexander Valley, planted on 110R rootstock at 9x5 spacing and using contoured terraces. The Church Vineyard is located on the site first planted by E.J. Church in the 1870s at an elevation of about 1300 feet, the oldest vineyard site at Long Meadow Ranch.

Owned by Ted, Laddie & Christopher Hall, LMR employs an integrated organic farming system using simple, sustainable methods. Each part of the Ranch contributes to the health of the whole. Vineyards and wine making, olive orchards and olive oil making, cattle and horse breeding all work together in complementary fashion, as do the egg-laying poultry flock and the organic vegetable gardens.

“Estate” fertilizers are created through an extensive composting operation that relies on organic material from each segment of the Ranch. Soil erosion is controlled and new soils are built through the extensive use of permanent cover crops made up of carefully selected grasses, clovers, and legumes. All crops are certified organic by the California Certified Organic Farmers and are grown without the use of herbicides, pesticides, or chemical fertilizers.

PO Box 477
Rutherford, CA 94573

Phone: (707) 963-4555
Fax: (707) 963-1956
www.longmeadowranch.com