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rare combination of verve and elegance. J. Wilkes produces Pinot
Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir from the Santa Maria Valley.
Petitioned in 1997 by Wes Hagen and approved in 2001, the Santa
Rita Hills are a unique series of east-west coastal valleys that
channel fierce winds and dense fog. The result of the sandy
soils and cool-climate Pinot Noir production is impressive: tiny
berries, dense color, and wines that are famed and sought-after
for big style, acid structure, and aging potential. Soils began
developing around 12 million years BCE when this area was first
thrust out of the Pacific Ocean by a massive tectonic event.
Deep and intensely hard, the soils of Paso Robles Highlands
District are younger than what you would find in Santa Maria
Valley or Santa Rita Hills. The land has been eroded from geologic
parent material formed in the Pleistocene and Old Pliocene—that's
TOP: Winemaker, Wes Hagen, checking grape quality before harvest.
LEFT: Some of the rich soils found in the Paso Robles Highlands District area
which help sustain strong vines.
Photographs by Makers & Allies
