WindRacer wines is a delicious venture between two neighbors: Horse racing enthusiast Peggy Furth and

Barbara Banke, Chairman & Proprietor of Jackson Family Wines.

The women’s’ morning walks led to conversations about their love for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wine. They created a wine brand called WindRacer, to express their love for both wine and horses.

During the presentation, Peggy Furth said   

“the development of elite racehorses takes years of pedigree decisions and nurturing. And the making of luxury wine also takes years of vineyard decisions and winemaking attention.”

Peggy Furth is now taking the wine on tour, designed to coincide with New York’s Belmont Stakes horse race, the third leg of the Triple Crown.

Origins of WindRacer Wines

Recently I attended the New York debut with the 2018 vintage of six small lot, extreme viticulture, single vineyard Chardonnays and Pinot Noir

High Elevations

High elevations, coastal winds, and rocky, nutrient-poor soils are just a few things that challenge a vineyard during the growing season. 

These difficult conditions result in low yields, small berries, and intense, concentrated flavors in the fruit, ultimately creating a complex profile in the wines.

2018 Saralee’s Vineyard Chardonnay

The famous Saralee’s Vineyard has a rich history and reputation for producing stunning Burgundian varieties.

Located in the Russian River Valley, the vines sit near the Petaluma Gap, where wind and fog whip through daily from the Pacific Ocean. This cooling influence allows the grapes to ripen slowly, developing rich, complex flavors.

The vineyard is dry farmed and the vines, which are over 30 years old, extend deep in the ground for nutrients and water, creating a vivid expression of terroir in the fruit. Sourced from two adjacent blocks within this famed vineyard, the Chardonnay shows classic aromas of golden apple and ripe pear. Toasted oak frames the fruit as the flavors extend through a creamy, round palate, lifted with hints of lemon curd across the long, lingering finish.

2018 Alexander Mountain Estate Chardonnay 

Grown on the western ridge of the Mayacamas Mountains, the grapes for the Alexander Mountain Estate Chardonnay benefit from complex soils and cool sunshine.

Sitting just above the fogline, the vines receive a cooling influence from below and abundant sun from above. This idyllic combination allows for complex flavor development over a long growing season.

A mixture of volcanic rock and sedimentary deposits, the diverse soils impart a distinctive minerality. Sourced from two of the older blocks in the vineyard, the wine is made of 100% Chardonnay. The mountain pedigree gives this wine its powerful aromatic expression and character. Yellow apples, Meyer lemon, toasted hazelnuts and vanilla bean yield to a soft, voluptuous texture across the palate. The finish is long and focused with stony minerality and acidity.

2018 Bloomfield Vineyard Pinot Noir 

The Bloomfield Vineyard sits at the southern end of the Russian River Valley near the town of Sebastopol. Foggy mornings and cool, windy days allow the grapes to ripen slowly over a long growing season for complex flavor development.

The sandy loam soils, derived from ancient marine terraces, have excellent drainage and low fertility, producing smaller yields of intense fruit. The result is an elegant wine with balanced ripeness and a vibrant profile. Grapes are selected from a single block of the vineyard. Ripe cranberry and morello cherry introduce the wine, joined by fragrant spices and light mocha aromas.

2018 Skycrest Vineyard Pinot Noir 

The Skycrest Vineyard is a steep hillside vineyard perched over the town of Boonville in Mendocino. Above the fogline, the grapes experience cool, sun-filled days and long hang times that give this wine its intense flavors and vibrant red fruit profile.

The pitch of the vineyard slope requires that the grapes be handpicked, which allows for precise control over phenolic ripeness and harvesting at the peak of maturity. The resulting wine displays a rugged intensity indicative of its dramatic landscape.

A lively red cherry and cranberry fruit profile evolves with intense grip and power on the palate. The bright texture extends across the long finish, carried by firm tannins and notes of clove and spice.

2018 Edmeades Vineyard Pinot Noir 

The historic Edmeades Vineyard sits on a plateau above the Navarro River, just west of the small town of Philo. High density vines are planted in clay loam soils. This causes a beneficial struggle for nutrients and the development of rich, concentrated flavors in the fruit. From the nearby ocean, chilly coastal breezes sweep in each day around 3pm, maintaining cooler temperatures and allowing the grapes to ripen slowly. 

The bright red raspberry, Bing cherry and savory herb complexity display signature Mendocino character. Across the palate, the texture is juicy and rich, with subtle earthiness and smooth tannins. The finish is long and vibrant.

2018 Sealift Vineyard Pinot Noir 

Just five miles from the Pacific Ocean, the Sealift Vineyard sits in the “true” Sonoma Coast, where a small enclave of dramatic vineyards thrive in this cool climate, creating stunning Pinot Noirs.

The sandy loam soils were shaped from ancient marine terraces turned up from the bottom of the ocean during tectonic movements millions of years ago, which resulted in well-drained, nutrient-poor soils perfect for concentrated flavor development. Rich and complex, the Sealift Pinot Noir opens with intense aromas of blackberry and ripe raspberry with hints of clove, cocoa and herbs.

A powerful expression of raspberry, sage and cardamom with a deep intensity on the palate and a long, complex finish.

Before working with her late husband, Jess Jackson, to develop Jackson Family Wines, Barbara was a Land Use and Constitutional Law Attorney. She spent more than a decade arguing cases before the United States Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal. That background ultimately helped her grow the Jackson’s vineyard holdings with world-class properties. 

Likewise, Peggy held the distinction of being the first female executive at Kellogg’s as Vice President of Public Affairs. This business acumen became especially important as she and her late husband, Fred Furth, founded and grew Chalk Hill Estates & Vineyards. From the beginning, she had a hand in all aspects of the family business and later took over all winery operations.

For both Barbara and Peggy, raising and riding top flight horses is a passion and business as important as their wine businesses. At Chalk Hill, Peggy Furth built an exquisite indoor equestrian center and show ring for her international dressage horses. 

Barbara Banke took on the race track and established the family’s Lexington-based equestrian racing stables, Stonestreet Farm, in Kentucky where she raises world class race horses. 

WindRacer Wines is the culmination of Barbara and Peggy’s lifelong passions, producing luxury wines from extreme vineyard sites with dedication and hard work to make the very best. From these handpicked vineyard lots they produce Thoroughbred wines from the Pacific Coast’s most esteemed vineyards.

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Chalk Hill Estate Winery Experience

What a fabulous lunch and reserve tasting I had with the Chalk Hill Wine Experience.

My host is Courtney Foley.

Courtney is now the winemaker for Chalk Hill Estate Winery in Sonoma, California.

[socialpug_tweet tweet=”The Chalk Hill Estate Winery is famous for its Chalk Hill Chardonnay.” display_tweet=””]

The Chalk Hill Estate Winery is famous for its Chalk Hill Chardonnay.

This Chardonnay comes from unique chalk and limestone estate vineyards.

Like so many wineries today, the owners create the Chalk Hill Estate Winery Experience to include tours, tasting, and the culinary arts.

The Terroir Behind Chalk Hill Winery Estate

[socialpug_tweet tweet=”The Chalk Hill Estate Winery is famous for its Chalk Hill Chardonnay.” display_tweet=””]

The Chalk Hill Estate Winery is famous for its Chalk Hill Chardonnay.

This mineral component comes out in the wines. Chalk Hill Estate Chardonnay and Chalk Hill Pinot Noir are famous around the world.

History of Chalk Hill Winery

In 1972, the original owner Fred Furth takes a plane trip over the Russian River. Outside the airplane, he sees a natural curve carved into the hills of eastern Sonoma.

Instinctively, he thinks this would be a great terroir for Chardonnay.

Also, Pinot Noir, and other varieties of wine grapes.

Fred’s intuition tells him the land has the potential to support a world-class vineyard.

A subsequent tour confirms that the spectacular property had the climate and soils to grow luxury-class wine grapes.

[socialpug_tweet tweet=”Decades later, he sells to William Foley because he wants a family to take it over.” display_tweet=””]

Decades later, he sells to William Foley because he wants a family to take it over.

Over the next several decades he builds a home, plants the vines, and builds a winemaking facility. Decades later, he sells to William Foley because he wants a family to take it over.

During the Chalk Hill Estate Winery Experience you can see this terroir and taste the grapes that have grown on it.||

**Click Here for More Wine Resources**

About Courtney Foley, Chalk Hill Wine Estate Winemaker

Courtney initially went to law school with an aim of becoming an environmental lawyer;

Later, she joins the family business as a winemaker. For her, that means going back to school to get her winemaking credentials.

Subsequently Courtney spends several years “working her way up” the ladder selling Chalk Hill Estate wines.

T Foley family are very much into food and wine and food pairing and offer a culinary experience at their wine estate),

Courtney explains she minored in geology during university and is therefore a “rock hound.” [socialpug_tweet tweet=”This is a great background for her present career as a winemaker.” display_tweet=””]

This is a great background for her present career as a winemaker.

About Wine from Chalk Hill Winery

Chalk Hill winery–and Courtney as winemaker–are focused on creating wine that expresses the terroir of their unique site.

Though most of the vineyards lend themselves to aromatic white wines (Sauvignon Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay) the winery makes Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Bordeaux blends.

The tasting began with the Sauvignon Gris 2017, a delicious wine with aromas and flavors of nectarine and peach, with delightfully refreshing acidity.

Next was the Sauvignon Blanc 2017, refreshing but remarkably rich at the same time … a “winter Sauvignon Blanc” as Courtney says. Its richness is due to 20% malolactic fermentation and stirring of the lees.

This wine had substantial weight and would go great with dishes such as scallops.

Chardonnay is what California is well known for, and the 2016 Estate Chardonnay had substance and notes of green apple.

This 2016 vintage saw over 50% new French oak and was 100% barrel fermented.

The 2016 estate bottled Mount Eden clone Pinot Noir was delicious with more black fruit than red, a delightful match for poached salmon.

The 2015 Estate bottled Bordeaux blend had a majority of Cabernet Sauvignon and 29% of Malbec along with other varietals (Petit Verdot and Merlot).

The high proportion of Malbec is testament to how well Malbec can grow on Chalk Hill. It was a great pairing with red meat as was my favorite, the Clara’s vineyard proprietary blend that could rival anything Bordeaux offered.

The Chalk Hill Estate Winery Experience Visit Information

Chalk Hill winery offers a variety of different tours and tastings, and availability to book as private events.

Virtually all wineries have wine clubs these days, yet members get to taste and purchase wines that are not available over the counter, such as the Sauvignon Gris and other wines that are made in very small quantities.

It was a delightful meeting and I am excited to visit this winery. Please follow all my wine adventures on Instagram @awinestory

Here is a video introducing the Chalk Hill WIne Estate

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If you like this article you will like:

— Dominus Estate
— Chappellet Family Winery
— Hess Collection
— Frog’s Leap

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About Author Marisa D’Vari

D’Vari contributes to Forbes.com, Financial Times, World of Fine Wine, Quarterly Review of Wine, Decanter Robb Report, San Francisco Chronicle, South China Morning Post, and more.

She holds the (WSET) diploma, Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers, a Certified Wine Educator  through the Society of Wine Educators … to see it all, please click on bio

Video on Rose Wine Via Wine Folly

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