Unturned Stone Moonwater Merlot 2023

From their 1700′ elevation, the vines of Waterhorse Ridge have quite a view – rugged, redwood-covere terrain, a little view of the Pacific, the unearthly coastal fog, and some of the Sonoma Coast’s most famous Pinot Noir vineyards. Most would say it’s no place to grow Cabernet Sauvignon. We, along with vineyard owners Patricia and Jesus, beg to differ.

Patricia Greer and her husband Jesus Velasquez married and bought their land in the 1990’s, with the goals of starting a family, growing diverse crops and raising a few animals. They planted their 2-acre vineyard in 1997, the same year their first child, Jesus (“Jesusito” around the ranch) was born. At that time, the Sonoma Coast was still something of a new frontier to grape growers, but most of the area’s new growers were betting on Pinot Noir. Jesus and Patricia figured that a mix of thicker-skinned Bordeaux varieties (mostly Cabernet Sauvignon) would better withstand the coastal moisture, and would also have the “little black dress” sort of versatility to carry on through the fickle turns of the wine market.


Waterhorse Ridge enjoys a cool coastal climate, but does get some hot days due to its high perch on Stewart Ridge. The soil is rocky, well-drained loam derived from uplifted ocean floor sediments and basalts. Jesus and Jesusito farm the vineyard meticulously, managing the vines’ canopy by hand and keeping any other inputs to a minimum. In all but the hardest years, they’ve been able to limit spraying to one or two sulfur applications in a season. The old horse and the burro grazing in the vineyard have kept the cover crop (mostly clover) in check during the winters. Gophers are kept in check by a Jack Russell and a small army of cats. Other than limited irrigations in the recent drought seasons, the vineyard has been dry-farmed for many years.