THE CRAFT
Winemaking
A light touch in the cellar, exceptional fruit in the vineyard — our approach lets each site and varietal speak for itself.
"Exceptional wines are made from exceptional fruit with exceptional care."
— PATRICK SABOE, WINEMAKER
OUR WINEMAKER
Patrick
Saboe
Patrick Saboe brings a unique perspective to winemaking — rooted in culinary sensibility from his years in the restaurant industry in Charleston, SC, sharpened by formal training at UC Davis, and refined through experience at Hanna Winery and Keller Estate.
Since 2012, Patrick has served as Director of Winemaking at The Wine Foundry in Napa, California, where all Rock & Clay wines are crafted.
His philosophy is simple: source exceptional fruit, intervene as little as possible, and let the vineyard tell the story.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
A
Light Touch
Rock and Clay produces its wine at The Wine Foundry. The Wine Foundry offers modern winemaking equipment and the latest analytical methods which facilitate proactive, data-driven minimal manipulation winemaking. Special attention is given to the phenolic profile of the wines which informs skin contact methods and duration of aging prior to bottling.
We use aging in neutral oak barriques to build the texture of our wines without imposing barrel notes into the aromatic profile. Our white wines have aromatic intensity and firm acidity, supported by moderate weight and texture. Our red wines have concentrated, complex flavors with fine grained tannins and balancing acidity.
OUR SCALE
Intentionally
Limited
Our production scale is intentionally limited. We source from meticulously cultivated vineyards, many of which are less than 5 acres in size. Each wine is a single-vineyard expression, giving us — and you — a clear window into what makes each site and varietal unique.
UNCOMMON FRENCH VARIETALS
The Grapes
We Love
Sonoma County produces wonderful Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel — but our hearts belong to the varietals of Southern France. We are drawn to the unique aromatics, texture and complexity that these varieties offer.
Tannat
Firmly structured, age-worthy and complex, with evolving flavors; high tannin that softens beautifully with age
Malbec
Lush dark fruit flavors, with spice notes and fine-grained texture; deeply pigmented with a Right Bank Bordeaux profile
Cabernet Franc
Bright aromatics with lift and complexity drawn from the cool nights of Knights Valley
Roussanne
Bright floral and citrusy aromatics; pairs beautifully with Grenache Blanc for our White Blend
Viognier
Pretty nectarine and white flower aromatics with minerality; luxuriously aromatic and full-bodied
Grenache Blanc
Weight and stone fruit flavors that complement Roussanne in our White Blend
Sauvignon Blanc
Crisp guava and kiwi fruit flavors with complexity from the cool Santa Rosa plain microclimate
NAPA, CALIFORNIA
The Wine
Foundry
Rock & Clay wines are crafted at The Wine Foundry, a state-of-the-art custom winemaking facility in Napa, California. Patrick Saboe has served as Director of Winemaking there since 2012, bringing together exceptional fruit from across Sonoma County and producing wines of remarkable quality and character.