Having named their property Dogged Ranch, it was only fitting that Ike and Lara name their winery Dogged Vine because of the vines’ own tenacity and daily struggle to sustain life. It’s a dogged pursuit that ends with the pop of a pulled cork.
After closing on the Dogged Ranch property in 2017, the Zekarias set about revitalizing the vineyard. Although the current crop of Sangiovese grapes were coveted and selling well, Ike and Lara were drawn to French varietals. On a recent trip to the south of France, they had fallen in love with the wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. In addition, they were inspired by the Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays, and Rhõne-style wines of California’s Central Coast region, particularly several made by a young viticulturist-turned-winemaker named James Sparks.
Incredibly, years earlier, Sparks had worked for a vineyard management company that farmed the estate now owned by the Zekarias. Over many bottles of wine and late-night conversations, a mutual agreement emerged where Sparks would assist in the revitalizing of the vineyard and would make some wine that Ike and Lara could share with friends and family.
“At times it felt completely unattainable. And it wasn’t always easy. We had setbacks, personally, professionally, that life brings on, but late in the game, the tide’s turned in our favor. When the dream became a possibility, we wanted to honor the past and our journey … to get there.”
The trio also talked about keeping the vineyard organic, letting the vines be, not trying to manicure a pristine, beautifully-trimmed vineyard. At the same time, they knew they had to control it a bit. Ultimately, they wanted to balance life and vineyard health. They wanted the vines happy and healthy. The main focus was making sure the young vines were growing correctly and laying down deep roots.
In 2017, Sparks embarked on a massive undertaking to remove all of the Sangiovese grapes. Most were replaced with Mourvèdre, Carignan, and Cinsault. The remaining vines were grafted to Grenache grapes. As of 2022, there are just over 3 acres of organically farmed vines on the 20-acre estate. The Grenache accounts for nearly 1.25 acres, the Mourvèdre for 1.5 acres, and the Carignan and Cinsault each account for one-quarter acres. The very first wine produced was the inaugural 2019 Dogged Vine Rose.
ADDITIONAL VINEYARD SOURCES
Tierra Alta Vineyard
Located just west of downtown Los Olivos, in the Ballard Canyon AVA, at the corner of Ballard Canyon Rd. and Sheep Camp Rd. The site was planted by John Belfy in 2000, and sits on a bed of clay and limestone, and boasts some of the steepest planted slopes in the Ballard Canyon AVA. From this site, we source Sauvignon Blanc grapes to produce our Dogged Vine Sauvignon Blanc.
Mira laguna vineyard
Situated nearly three miles as the crow flies, northwest of Santa Ynez, this organically-farmed vineyard was planted in 1998. Today, it is owned by Willy and Eileen Ma, and managed by Coastal Vineyard Care and Steve Beckmen. Older plantings of Sangiovese, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon abound here, rooted in alluvial soils of Orcutt sand, terraced deposits, gravelly fine sandy and clay loams. We sourced Syrah grapes from Mira Laguna for our Dogged Vine GSM.