The Beginning and the Future: A Chat with Chris Upchurch about Our First Vintage

When you plant a vineyard, there are no guarantees that it will produce fine wine. Red Mountain is one of the best places to grow Cabernet Sauvignon. We know our soils are wonderful for establishing deep rooted systems and that our micro climate allows for the capability of producing wines with complex flavors and fine structure, but even with all of this, there are still no guarantees. "When we brought the grapes in, you could already taste their character. After fermentation, you could see right away what a wonderful wine it would be and that Upchurch Vineyard was a special place," Chris reflected. When asked what he sees the future of UV looking like he said "We will continue to enhance the wonderful wines that we are already making but we are taking time to discover other wines as well. Whether it be a new blend from our vineyard, a different part of our plot, collaborating with a different vineyard on Red Mountain, or maybe even a sparkler."

The 2010 Growing Season According to Vineyard Manager Dick Boushey

"It was a nice, moderate year with no big heat spikes so the vines and fruit developed continually throughout the season and achieved good phenolic maturity without big sugar, alcohol, or harsh tannins. If you managed your vines and crop load that year, it made silky balanced wines with good acidity, great mouthfeel, and good aging ability. For me one of my favorite vintages and a bit underrated." — Dick Boushey

Thea's Thoughts on the Vintage

"One of the best things about being a small family business is you get to see every part of the process as it happens. But that also means a lot of anticipation and waiting for the fruit and wines to be ready. It was so exciting when the fruit finally reached the winery after waiting 3 years since planting in 2007." — Thea Upchurch