Varietals: Zinfandel, Mission, Grenache, Alicante AVA: Vineyard Maglite, Cucamonga Valley Bottles produced: 1,340
Vinification: 100% Destemmed and fermented in stainless steel dairy tank. Aged in neutral 1,200L Foudre.
The Scythian Wine Company is devoted to making wine from the magical old-vine vineyards south-east of Los Angeles. The chief sources are two own-rooted vineyards, vigorous and thriving in the deep sand of the Cucamonga Valley: the Lopez Palomino vineyard, planted about 1912, and the Lopez Zinfandel vineyard, planted in 1918. Both of these vineyards are farmed by the Galleano family, who have been making wine in Cucamonga since 1923. We also make wine from three other, smaller, old vine vineyards: the Galleano Home vineyard, planted to many red and white varieties in 1918; the Francis Road vineyard, planted to Grenache and Mission and Rose of Peru about 1905; and the Munoa family’s Lone Wolf Vineyard. This is perhaps the most special vineyard of all: it was planted on its own roots on the Pechanga Reservation in Temecula in 1896— with Listan Prieto cuttings brought directly from Spain. The ancient vines in all of these vineyards have always been farmed organically and without irrigation. The vines are strong in the deepest sense, yields are naturally low, and the wines that they make convey their noble histories. All of the wines are marked by freshness and elegance and open a new window to the possibilities of California winemaking. The origin of the name is a fascination and respect for the Scythian nomads of the Ancient world, who defied the efforts of the Greeks and Romans to tame them. It is a sign of the wine company’s devotion to history and unconventionality.
