The Merlo Family

Ray and Robin Merlo first started their professional lives in a field very different from winemaking. Ray as a medical doctor and Robin as a physician assistant, they started a family practice in Redding, California. Their first entry to winemaking was from visiting family in Northern Italy in the mid '80's. "It was a revealing trip for us. All my relatives had small plots of land where they grew grapes for their own use," says Ray. "We visited the old family vineyard, which was planted by my great-grandfather and is still to this day maintained by my cousin. It was then that we thought we might like to continue this family tradition back home."

After returning home to California, the Merlos recounted their experience with an old school friend, Randall Meredith, who had made a similar trip and had similar interests and aspirations in wine.

He planted the first vineyard in Hyampom in the mid '80s; at that time the Merlos were not directly involved in the ownership. "We traveled to Hyampom on weekends, helping with planting, and the harvest," says Robin. It wasn't until the late 90's that the Merlos entered into a formal partnership with Meredith Vineyards, an established, bonded winery.

"We fell in love with the valley over time," says Robin, "but it wasn't until later that we realized the real potential this land had for growing grapes. The fruit coming off Randall's vineyard was just incredible." It was at that time that they purchased Hyampom Valley Ranch and set in motion a plan to develop a second vineyard. The ranch was prepped in 1999 and planted in 2000. The first bottling was in 2001 under the Meredith/Merlo label, but the Merlo's vineyard didn't come into production until 2002. Based on a desire to expand the winemaking facilities, they decided to construct a larger facility and in 2002 the first winery was built. In 2004 a second winery was built along with a new crush pad and state-of-the-art wine making equipment. The first bottling under the Merlo label was in 2004. Using the family name, Merlo - Italian for blackbird - Ray and Robin are now creating estate-grown wines that represent their winemaking heritage in a land they cherish - Hyampom Valley.

Today Ray and Robin produce several varietals all from the Southern Trinity County. "Our winemaking philosophy is that we believe that great fruit produces great wine," says Ray. It appears the Hyampom area may produce some of the best wine grapes around.

Winemaking on the Estate

R. Merlo Estate Vineyards was founded on the concept that quality wine is grown in the vineyard. "We are committed to making wines that are true expressions of the varietal fruit from which they are made," says Ray Merlo. The unique growing season of the Hyampom Valley produces exceptional fruit with a high natural acidity resulting in very structured wines with deep, elegant, and yet, fresh, fruit flavors. A minimalist approach is taken in the wine cellar, allowing the wines to clearly reflect the varietal character and distinct terroir of Hyampom Valley.

This concept is embraced by consulting winemaker David Georges, a Northern California native whose experience with wine began with a thorough study of viticulture and resulted in a passion for winemaking. Explains David Georges, "The only way to make a truly great wine is to grow a truly great grape. That is what we are doing."

Hyampom Valley has been a source of inspiration to Georges. "The fruit expresses such a strong sense of place. I want the unique characteristics of Hyampom Valley fruit to shine through, so that each wine is an elegant expression of the land." Georges has always believed that it is his job to showcase the unique character, vibrancy and concentration in the fruit - to carefully preserve the varietal character while layering in balance, structure and elegance. The result is wines boasting bold flavors and smooth tannins with elegant balance and acidity.

Bix Lane Head Winemaker and Viticulturist

Born and raised in Hyampom, Bix Lane knows what it takes to raise quality crops in the south Trinity County region. Throughout his childhood, his family farmed organically, raising garlic, fruit trees, and vegetables and marketing them locally and in the Eureka and Redding areas. Educated in the local school system, Bix graduated Salutatorian of Hayfork High School in 1997. He went on to study engineering at UC Davis, but quickly found that his passion remained in the cultivation of soils and quality crops. His history with farming, coupled with his family's experience in home winemaking led Bix into the study of viticulture and enology. The more Bix learned about the top winegrowing regions and their characteristics, the more he understood the true uniqueness of his own home valley. Bix returned to the region in 2002 to focus on capturing the immense viticultural potential of Hyampom Valley.

David Georges Winemaker and Viticulturist Consultant

David Georges has always had a love and appreciation of the land. At the young age of twenty, Georges moved from his home in Southern California to the northern part of the state to join the California Conservation Corps. He settled in a small valley just south of Mt. Shasta and worked for an Italian land tycoon tending his organic vegetable farm. When his employer inquired about planting a five acre vineyard at the base of Castle Crags, Georges decided it was best to learn to do it right. He was accepted at U.C. Davis and mentored under Dr. Andy Walker, the world's foremost vine and rootstock expert. It was at U.C. Davis that Georges discovered that his passion for winemaking equaled his passion for vineyard management. "I discovered that one can only make a truly great wine with beautifully perfect fruit," he explains. He went on to earn a B.S. Degree in Viticulture / Enology from U.C. Davis in 1998 and was second winemaker in his class.

Georges started his career as viticulturalist at Staton Hills Winery in Wapato, Washington where he honed his skills in canopy and crop management. Returning to California in 2000, Georges was named Viticulturist and later Head Winemaker at Davis Bynum Winery in Healdsburg, California. It was there that Georges put his skills and passion to work producing award-wining wines. "As a winemaker I developed my varietal style of winemaking by being meticulous in my viticultural practices and allowing the fruit to magically make itself into wine," Georges says. As the man responsible for numerous awards, gold medals and 90+ scores, David Georges quickly became a top winemaker in the competitive world of California winemaking.

As consulting winemaker to R. Merlo Estate Vineyards, Georges has embarked on one of the most exciting times in his career. "Hyampom Valley is one of the most exciting new winegrowing regions in the world today and I am thrilled to be a part of it." Georges describes it as a bit of a homecoming. "At R. Merlo Estate Vineyards, we strive to bring out the particular characteristics of our vineyards so that the flavors are carried through to the bottle. That's always been my philosophy and our wines are a testament to it."

Our Estate Vineyards

The R. Merlo Estate Vineyards are located on the riverbanks of the wild and scenic South Fork of the Trinity River at the southern tip of Trinity County. Surrounded by 6,000 ft intercoastal mountains on all sides, these isolated vineyards are higher than most California vineyards at an elevation of 1,250 feet. Over 45 acres are currently planted with a variety of grape types using quality clone on terroir and site-specific rootstocks. Our vineyards include blocks of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Syrah, and Merlot, as well as, Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon from nearby blocks.

The soils in R. Merlo Estate Vineyards are of three distinctly different origins. The low-lying ground is young alluvial infill. Half of the vineyard is rock, gravel and sand deposited during the 1964 flood. This major event deposited over 30 feet of new material in the Pelatrue Creek Drainage. The creek spilled over into the R. Merlo Estate Vineyard, eroding and baring old pastures. About 70% of the vineyard is infill deposited by the flood event. These soils are mixtures of rock, gravel, and sand base with decomposed granite silts deposited in varying depths on the surface. The remaining soil is heavier native clay from shale origins that have been uniformly deposited from the shale cliffs behind the vineyard. All of the soils are well drained and are actively irrigated.

R. Merlo Estate Vineyards has an extremely active and integrated vineyard management program headed by viticulturist, Bix Lane. "The Hyampom Ranch is a fairly low vigor sight. Afternoon winds and quick draining soils with little water holding capacity make routine irrigation necessary," says Lane. From early June through August each block receives two weekly irrigations that vary between 6 and 12 gallons each, depending on the weather. In September, water is carefully monitored to keep plants under deficit irrigation without compromising the canopy or fruit integrity.

The vineyard is planted on 8'x6' spacing and production is kept to 2½-4 tons per acre. Two shoot/fruit thinning passes are made each year to promote quality. The vineyard is thinned prior to verasion to adjust the overall crop load. A second thinning pass is made after verasion to remove fruit that is damaged or behind in maturity. Secondary crop, depending on the year, is removed at this time to stall or accelerate ripening.

In regards to soil management, R. Merlo Estate Vineyards is actively cover-cropping to build organic matter resulting in increased nutrient and water holding capacities of the vineyard soils. As the soils are built, suitable nutrient cycles are planned with leguminous crops and the minimum of nutrient addition. "Our goal is to continue to use sustainable farming practices while improving grape quality," says Lane. "We are committed to responsible farming practices without losing focus on wine and grape quality goals."

Hyampom Valley

Tucked away in the far reaches of Northern California lies Hyampom Valley - a remote river valley hidden amongst the towering 6000 ft. intercoastal mountains of Southern Trinity County. Hyampom, the Wintu Indian phrase for "plentiful valley", is a fitting name for one of the most remote and perhaps most ideal, winemaking regions in California.

Located roughly 100 miles north of Sonoma and Napa Counties, Hyampom Valley's growing season is a full three to four weeks later than that of the wine country. This allows for a much slower ripening, increasing hang time and creating full concentrated flavors without over ripening or depleting natural acids. The valley's wind-flow drives the terroir of the small mountain valley, causing the fluctuation in temperature and resulting humidity. Daily inland temperatures are regularly above 90 degrees F. Due to the strong coastal influences, each night the valley fills with cool moist air flowing downhill from the majestic, forested mountains that encircle the valley. This results in daily temperature fluctuations of up to 50 degrees F. The contrast in temperatures creates a rich and complex tannin structure that gives the wines strong backbone.

Hyampom Valley Ranch Soil and Geologic Description

The shaping of Hyampom Valley has been a fairly violent mixture of erosion and continental up-lift. It is composed of approximately 2000 acres of arable land and is isolated from the rest of the world by high mountains which surround it on all sides. The valley is spotted with coastal serpentines, ancient shales, unusual metamorphic rock and decomposing granites. A lead of carboniferous shale crosses the valley near the middle and croppings of coal are found in the river and on the hillsides. The best exposure occurs in the bed of the river which lies between the vineyard and the airstrip. Hyampom's rough mountain topography, combined with the large seasonal flow of local streams, carry liberal quantities of mineral soils and large aggregate to the valley floor. The result is a cornucopia of soil variability.