The Salinas Valley is one of California's most fertile stretches of farmland. Driving through it is an almost surreal experience for city dwellers - a narrow highway runs through the middle of a wide, flat basin bordered by mountains on either side. Green fields of fruits and veggies cover nearly every inch of ground in every direction that is not home to a road or building. Tractors slowly creep along byroads and traffic is non-existent. Salinas literally translates from Spanish as "salt marsh," and one can imagine what this valley would look like had it not been for its significant agricultural development. Now "the Salad Bowl of the World" is a more fitting moniker. Behind endless sleepy fields of spinach and strawberries, at the base of the Santa Lucia Mountains, there is something else growing. Vines line gentle east-facing terraces of these foothills on gravelly loam soils that are significantly less fertile than the valley below. With the help of marine fog, cool winds, and ample California sunshine these vines located in the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA produce some of the best wine grapes in the state of California.
Justin Violini Photo
Enter Kirk Williams. In 1965 Kirk's father purchased a ranch on a gradual slope located in what is now the center of the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA. Kirk would go on to take over this ranch and in the early 1980's he built a house for himself and moved onto the property full time, officially dubbing it "KW Ranch." Avocados, lemons, oranges, and grapefruits were planted on the ranch and for years were the primary source of income for Kirk and his family. While the William's clan was doing just fine with their avocado and citrus they noticed many of their neighbors were planting and growing wine grapes with tremendous success. Then the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA was officially established in 1991 and even more vineyards sprung up. Finally in 1998 Kirk caved in and tore out a section of orange trees to plant wine grapes. He chose to plant Pinot Noir and Syrah vines, about 16 acres in total.
For years Kirk farmed his vines and sold the grapes to local producers. His "KW Ranch Vineyard" quickly emerged as a fruit source of the highest quality and vineyard designate wines from his ranch became mainstays in local producers' portfolios. Despite early success it wasn't until 2007, after partnering with his step-daughter Kori, that the William's family began bottling under their own label. KORi Wines was born, and when storied local winemaker Sabrine Rodems joined the team in 2010 things got off to a hot start.
Property of KORi Wines
Unfortunately by the time the most recent vintages of KORi Wines were harvested, bottled, and ready to market Kori herself was starting a family and took a leave from the business to focus on motherhood. 2014 was the last vintage to have any fruit harvested and bottled under the KORi label, and from 2015-2017 the fruit was again sold off elsewhere. However in 2018 - after dedicating a few years to being supermom - Kori decided to return and help propel the business forward once again. With the help of Kirk, Sabrine, and her brother Justin, Kori is leading KORi Wines into what is sure to be highly successful future.
KORi Wines plans to harvest fruit for least 4-5 different bottlings in 2018 and has intentions to open a tasting room very soon. In the meantime they are selling past vintages of their wines directly through their website and through select local retailers. Thankfully the past vintages that have been aging peacefully in storage are now nearing peak maturity. To say that these wines are drinking well would be an understatement. Their 2014 Pinot Noir specifically impressed us with its pure succulent fruit profile and stoney saline minerality.
Trying a wine from a tiny producer for the first time can feel like a gamble, but in the case of KORi Wines we felt like we hit the jackpot. High quality estate fruit, award-winning winemaking, and a distinct expression of world-class regional terroir don't typically show up in wines of this price range. In fact we've tried wines that cost twice as much that didn't deliver close the same level of enjoyment. But there we were, sipping wine from a tiny little family production few people outside of Soledad have ever heard of, and enjoying the absolute heck out of it.
We'll leave you with few thoughts:
First, don't sleep on small producers. While there are always a few bad apples in every bunch, the overwhelming majority of wine we have tried from tiny producers has been of exceptional quality. When a few dedicated hands set out to produce a product that their very livelihood depends on you can bet that they are going to work hard to ensure you love what's in the glass. No corporation is getting rich, no money is ending up in offshore bank accounts, and you are putting food on a family's table. Buy from the little guys.
Second, the Santa Lucia Highlands is the real deal. Thanks to relatively inexpensive land, high availability of seasonal labor, world-class terroir, and passionate & dedicated producers, the quality of wine coming out of this region far exceeds its relatively modest price tag. If value is important to you then pay attention, because we don't know if there is another region in California that can produce Pinot Noir of this caliber for the price.
Third, go out and grab a few bottles from KORi Wines. You will be directly supporting Kirk, Kori, Justin, and Sabrine. And their wine is GOOD. Not just "like yeah this is fine" good, not "I guess this is pretty smooth" good, but actually legitimately compellingly good. This is expertly crafted age worthy juice that you can drink now or cellar away for another 5-10 years with ease. To help make this decision easier for you, the folks at KORi have provided a discount code for free shipping on all purchases from their site. Simply go to koriwines.com and use the code "WRFREE" at checkout. You'll thank us you did!