Monroy Wines
Get the Dirt from winemaker / owner Adolfo Hernandez
“A great wine is the sum of a thousand different decisions and actions, and it helps when the winemaker themselves are doing the work.”
What was your first vintage year? Our first vintage was 2018.
How many cases do you make per vintage? We make around 150 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon per year, and we’ve just added 200 cases of a beautiful Sauvignon Blanc!
Do you have a Tasting Room? Unfortunately we don’t have a tasting room! But yes, we can make arrangements for tastings via email.
What varietals do you work with?
I work with Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc. I started my hands-on winemaking career at Eisele Vineyard, and these are the two varietals I developed with professionally that provided my molding and more memorable experiences.
What vineyards do you source from?
As of 2021 I source all my fruit from the Kick Ranch Vineyard in the Fountaingrove District. It’s on the Sonoma side of Spring Mountain, and has the cool climate influence that I love in both varietals.
What type of oak treatment do you use?
For Cabernet Sauvignon I only ferment in barrels, which is unusual. I open the barrels, fill them with berry-sorted grapes, close the heads myself, and then tip them onto special rolling racks. Cold-soak and fermentation happens inside the vented, closed barrel, and I roll them instead of doing punch-downs or pumpovers. It gives a unique texture and integration of oak to the wine. Once it’s done I drain the wine, open the barrels, scoop out the skins, wash and close the barrels, and fill them with the wine. It takes two barrels of fermentation to give one finished barrel of wine, but it is worth the effort! I use only French oak, and will age in roughly 50% new wood.
What’s the story behind your winery name / label?
I grew up making bootleg wine as American expats of Guatemalan heritage living in Saudi Arabia. Instead of something esoteric I thought it best to go with a simple and elegant silhouette of a Quetzal, the Guatemalan national bird, as the symbol of the brand.
What's the one thing you wish someone had told you about the wine business before you started your own winery?
It’s so much easier to make wine than to sell it. I’m sure that’s a common one!
Most importantly, what's so great about being small? What can you do as a small winemaker, that wouldn't be possible for larger wineries?
We really get to touch the wine. Not every winemaker gets to (or wants to) drag their own hoses, rack their own wines, and do their own labwork. A great wine is the sum of a thousand different decisions and actions, and it helps when the winemaker themselves are doing the work.
How do you view the future in the wine industry for small-lot winemakers?
Small-lot winemakers will always be the trendsetters for new or different styles and approaches.
For more information about Monroy Wines., please visit their website or follow them on Instagram.