With a rebellious spirit Dave and Tallie chopped the heads off the Zinfandel vines on their property. They then decided to graft on to the regions now headless king of varietals a grape that few had even heard of. Like our small yet mighty organization the Counoise they grafted on prospered. Breaking the mold and bucking what has become convention for the west end of Lodi they chose to cultivate a grape that is light, floral and elegant. By chance we encountered this site and the Claypool’s on our never-ending search for our unique voice. Some may even say our identity. We both took a chance on each other and that chance birthed an idea. That idea was to make wines that had represented their sense of place in a way that had not been done before. The first Vintage of Counoise we produced was a mere 10.4 % abv but what some may think it lacked in alcoholic potency was made up for with an undeniably raw, loud and audacious energy. We have chosen to embrace the Carbonic maceration approach to vinifying these grapes allowing the volume of this sites voice to be amplified and brought to center stage. Light, bright beautiful, and determined. This wine quickly became our house style. A style that is defined by not standing in the way of what a place wants to show and what each year wants to say. The idea of not allowing what has come before to define what can be is something we find beautiful just like this rebel of a wine.