Camino Cellars Soberanes Vineyard Chardonnay 2017

The word Camino is translated into road or journey. And it’s the journey of Tadeo Borchardt that has brought him to the creation of Camino Cellars. Tadeo found his appreciation for wine while working in several restaurants in the Scottsdale, AZ area. While his appreciation continued, Tadeo followed a path of education and spent a few years as an elementary school teacher in Tucson. In 2002 his dream of working in the wine industry came true and he moved to Sonoma County to take a position in the cellars of Copain. After a stint at Copain, Tadeo headed down under to continue his education in the cellars of Craggy Range in New Zealand. In 2004 he then returned to California to take a position at Neyers Vineyards working alongside head winemaker Ehren Jordan. Upon Ehren’s departure, Tadeo took over the head winemaking responsibilities where he remains today. In 2013 the San Francisco Chronicle Named Tadeo as one of their “Winemaker’s to Watch”. Fast forward to today and the launch of Camino Cellars! This is the first solo project for Tadeo and one that is sure to cause significant buzz. There are two vineyard sources that are at the core of Camino Cellars – Soberanes Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands for Chardonnay, and Montecillo Vineyard in Sonoma County for Cabernet Sauvignon. The Soberanes Vineyard is owned and farmed by the legendary Pisoni and Franscioni families. Nestled just on the other side of the Monterey Bay along the foundation of the Santa Lucia Mountains, the Chardonnay vines are grown in the granitic rock and soil of the Highlands. Exposed to the refreshing marine influence, the heritage selection of Chardonnay (Wente, Hyde, Calera and Mount Eden) keep yields low and provide concentrated wine while maintaining a juicy, crisp freshness. The Montecillo Vineyard was planted in 1964 on the terraced, volcanic, iron rich soils high on the Mayacamas Mountain range. Owned by the Lee family who have a long and rich history in the California wine industry and founded Kenwood Winery in 1970. The vineyard has been carefully watched over for 40+ years by Chuy Ordaz. Camino shares this site with the likes of Bedrock, Turley and Arnot Roberts.