Assiduous Merlot Santa Cruz Mountains 2022

From the producer: As a growing region, the Santa Cruz Mountains are something of an enigma; farming is done at the edge of possibility.  Vineyards are tucked into the woods, peering out to the Pacific, allowing for slow-ripening fruit that matures at lower sugar levels.  At day’s end until morning, fog washes over the vines, aiding in acid retention.  Winemaker and farmer Keegan Mayo calls the mountains here home.  He farms organically and creates single vineyard/single variety wines using minimal intervention in the cellar, working to coax each unique site’s identity, one at a time.