They planted the vines back in 2011 to match the sunny climate and gravelly clay soils of the Windmill Vineyard. It is a much warmer inland location than the more well-known coastal regions of Napa and Sonoma, and Mediterranean varieties perform beautifully there. To preserve the bright acidity the grapes were harvested very early, on August 7, and pressed whole cluster. The juice was fermented in old neutral barrels, and then, in order to explore the nutty and savory side of the Vermentino grape grown in a hot climate on these gravelly soils they aged the wine for 54 months, sur lees, in the same barrels, with no racking or stirring. If you love the nutty wines of the Jura you will see California in a new light when you try this nutty longaged Vermentino from the Dunnigan Hills. There was no fining or filtering, no sulfites added at any time, and only native yeasts were used in the fermentation

Sergio Villanueva farms the Certified Organic Windmill vineyard for the owner Jeff Morgan under Matthiasson's direction and tutelage. He knows practically every vine by name, and carefully nurtures the vineyard with tremendous pride. The Windmill Vineyard is situated up on the pinkish gravelly alluvial soils of the Dunnigan Hills AVA in Yolo County. It is a hot climate, and the fruit ripens fast, allowing them to harvest ripe fruit at low sugar levels, keeping the alcohol moderate and the flavors vivid and intense without any heaviness in the wines.