Dear Friends,
You may have noticed the recently added ‘Vineyard’ to our brand name. What seems like evolution is a revolution. There is a season for everything under the sun. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to savour and enjoy. A time to watch and learn. And a time to pick up a shovel and work. Seventeen acres of vinifera isn’t a casual gentleman’s vineyard or reasonable opportunity to “hone your skills as a farmer.” Especially when the vineyard is surrounded by vinous legends with French accents. It’s a daunting task that came knocking far earlier than I ever anticipated. Taking over the vineyard management reminds me of how Levo began. Back when I couldn’t fill a barrel or drive a forklift (Taylor and Casey would still say I can’t). Welcome to Levo (Vineyard) 2.0.
Levo 1.0 was my search for magic – Happy Canyon, Ballard, Santa Rita Hills, Los Alamos, Santa Maria, Arroyo Grande, SLO Coast, El Paso De Robles; I left no stone unturned. My Tacoma has been caked with every soil substrate from up and down the central coast. I’d visit iconic wine caves as if they were Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory; convinced I’d find a mystical machine capable of producing magic. I’d sit quietly in historic vineyards with thick old vines abounding from calcareous shale hoping if I listened long enough they’d tell me their secrets. But like vineyard dust the magic always seemed to slip right through my fingers.
The wines that have made the biggest impression on me are not shaped by hands of “winemakers,” tinkering in the cellar or acclaimed vineyard managers cultivating land. Vinous legends don’t farm the vine. They farm soil. Now when I say soil I’m not referring to what somms drool over- ancient sea fossils or hunks of limestone. I’m talking about the organic material and species inhabiting crevices between rocks and walking above them; earthworms, centipedes, bees, butterflies, grazing animals, hell even the damn gophers. This diverse melange creates a delicate biome of bacteria and fungi in top soil, called mycorrhiza – a language in which vines and healthy soils communicate. It’s this special ecosystem that hosts not only a vine’s immunity towards disease but also the ability to request what it lacks and needs from the soil. You’ve probably heard the mantra “A struggling vine produces the best fruit.” But that’s like saying the most depleted boxer will be the last one standing at the final bell. Actively regenerating soils give vines a life force that allows them to thrive in even the most inhospitable conditions. When vines thrive in challenging terroir they produce ethereal fruits. Soils teeming with life is the first domino to fall and it carries through the entire process that culminates in pouring a bottle of wine that vibrates with energy and personality.
When I set out to create a wine company I was enamored with the idea of putting “winemaker” on my business card. I now realize wine quality has so little to do with my hands in the cellar and everything to do with the movements and mentality towards the vineyard and the hands that tend to it. I’ve traded dreams of one hundred point wines to a one hundred year old vines. So sayonara to the cellar, to the barrels, the laboratory and shiny new equipment. My new home is out in the vineyard. It’s time to pick up a shovel and work. Why? Because it’s where the magic really lies.
Alright, it’s time for me to trap some gophers and hoe some weeds. But before I go I’d like to thank each one of you, for everything. For stopping by the winery and saying hello, for the kind notes, the pictures, the beers, the hugs… We LOVE you guys. Thanks for sticking with us.
Wishing you the most bountiful season yet,
Bret & The Team at Levo Vineyard
Suggested listening:
The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream
Without further ado… the fruits of our labor
2023 Levo Vineyard Syrah
My heroes have always been cowboys.
This is the liquid embodiment of the Marlboro man. Like riding off into the unknown with all the confidence in the world. Syrah proves time and again that it’s completely at home in no man’s land. Like a flower growing out of a stone wall this is a wine of rugged beauty.
Tech Notes:
- Composition: 90% Syrah, 7% Petite Sirah, 3% Grenache
- Blocks: 1B, 3, 5, 9 → Vineyard Map
- Aged 22 Months in 225 Liter Barrique
- 66% New French Oak
- 33% Whole Cluster Fermentation
- Bottled Unfined, Unfiltered
- Serving Recommendation: 2+ hour decant upon release. Cellar 3-10 years
2023 Levo Vineyard Red Blend
A ransom letter from Levo Vineyard.
Like a Joker in a deck of cards this wine is a two faced character. A wild card guided by emotion rather than logic. In El Paso De Robles there are no guard rails or traditional paths to follow, just the beat of our own drum. The varietal makeup of this wine will change annually to represent the kaleidoscope of varieties we farm at Levo Vineyard.
Tech Notes:
- Composition: 48% Petite Sirah, 36% Grenache, 11% Syrah, 5% Graciano
- Block: 2, 3, 5, 6, 8B → Vineyard Map
- Aged 22 Months in 225 Liter Barrique
- 80% New French Oak
- Bottled Unfined, Unfiltered
- Serving Recommendation: 2+ hour decant upon release. Cellar 3-10 years
2024 Levo Vineyard White Wine
For my s.u.n.shine
We chose an unworn path and it led us to the sea. A place where time stood still and there was nothing but blowing sand and crashing waves echoing across sun drenched sea cliffs. We sprang headlong into unknown cerulean water that crashed over our bodies bursting into a billion icy shards. The smell of salty white foam and hot sands warm embrace. Exploring dark caves and tiptoeing across drift wood. I think what I’ll miss most is sunburns and the feeling of being young in summer time with you.
Production Notes: All varieties were picked on the same October day very early in the morning. Ice cold grapes were hand sorted and gently loaded into the press. Softly squeezed into used 600L Demi Muid. Fermented cellar temp with occasional battonage. Aged on fine lees until being bottled unfined and unfiltered. August 2025.
Tech Notes:
- Composition: 37% Grenache Blanc, 34% Picpoul Blanc, 16% Roussanne 13% Petit Manseng
- Blocks: 1A, 10A, 10B, 13 → Vineyard Map
- Aged 9 Months in used 600 Liter Demi Muids
- Bottled Unfined, Unfiltered
- Serving Recommendation: Serve slightly chilled. Cellar: 10 years
2018 Under The Gun Syrah
And finally a case member special. Two vinous treats from the dusty old cellar. Brace your cellar racks and taste buds. We are including a single bottle of 2018 Under the Gun Syrah in your shipment for the original release price of $59. Of course, we only have enough to allocate one bottle/member (if we are lucky we may run out). We are also offering a “sub” of 2018 Under the Gun Petite Sirah if you’d prefer that (even more limited). Here’s what Jeb Dunnuck said:
2018 Under the Gun Syrah – 96 Points
The Syrah-dominated release from this estate, the 2018 Under the Gun Syrah checks in as 88% Syrah and 12% Petite Sirah aged in 50% new French oak. Dense purple-colored, with a blockbuster bouquet of smoked black fruits, smoked game, bouquet garni, and ground pepper, this meaty, complex, full-bodied beauty has terrific purity, good acidity, and ripe yet present tannins. It’s beautifully done and has a complex, cool-climate-like vibe yet packs serious muscle.
The second treat, a single bottle of the 2018 Spot Kimsey Vineyard Grenache. This was the very first ‘iconic’ vineyard I was able to throw my hat in the ring and purchase some fruit. An organically farmed, high designed vineyard located in the heart of Ballard Canyon in Santa Ynez Valley. Foggy, marine layers in the morning and warm radiant sunshine in the afternoon. Our block of Grenache sat on a steep hill with an old oak tree at the top. I’ll never forget it’s where I first met Matt Dees and Ruben Solorzano. Two Barbara legends. I made just a couple 600L barrels of this wine. We have enough left for each case member to receive a single bottle (I hope). Think negroni and blood oranges. I hope you enjoy it!
All our best,
Bret
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