Over the years we have tasted many interesting wines made from mountain vineyards. It takes extra work to grow grapes at elevation, but mountain locations can provide significant elevation change, variable sun exposure, slope and soils all within a single estate. Starfield Vineyards is located in just such a special place. We recently received a selection of eight of their wines as tasting samples.
About Starfield Vineyards
Starfield Vineyards is located on the western slope of the central Sierra Nevada mountain range just east of Placerville. This location, less than an hour east of Sacramento, puts the winery in the heart of El Dorado AVA, which sits within El Dorado county.
Starfield is a family winery operated by Tom Sinton and his son, Rob. The Sinton family had been growing grapes in California for three generations when Tom joined in his family’s effort to plant the Shell Creek Vineyard in Paso Robles in 1972. The family’s history there and the history of the highly-regarded, and organically farmed, Shell Creek Vineyard is an interesting one.
It wouldn’t be until years later that Tom returned to the wine business, first establishing Starfield Vineyards in Napa in 2011. In the meantime, Rob discovered his interest in winemaking while a student at UC Davis. In 2012 they purchased the 67-acre hillside property in the Sierra Foothills that is Starfield Vineyards’ home.
31 acres are planted to vines, a combination of Rhône, Italian and Spanish varieties — 17 in all, in 24 blocks. Since the first vines were planted, the Sintons have followed sustainable and Fish Friendly Farming practices. Forest and woodland remain, along with planted strips of native plants between vineyard blocks and three ponds. All of this helps attract beneficial insects and the many bluebird boxes attract birds to control harmful pests.
In 2016 no-till and regenerative agriculture practices were implemented in the vineyard. The Sintons recently began farming organically and expect to be certified organic by the 2028 vintage.
One of the best things about visiting the Sierra Nevada mountains is the scent of fresh mountain air — the Sintons call it Sierra Spice. It is a rich, resinous aroma of Ponderosa Pine, Incense Cedar and Douglas Fir trees unique to the western slope of the mountains. They describe Sierra Spice this way:
It is a defining element of El Dorado terroir. Our forest conifers are full of aromatic terpenes, essential oils that the trees release to attract pollinators or defend against insects, and these form our unique forest character which we call Sierra Spice.
Tom and Rob believe the oils produced by the adjacent forest contribute to the flavor profile of their wines.
El Dorado AVA is also defined by its soil. Starfield Vineyards sits on volcanic soil called Mariposa loam. The well-draining soil varies in color within vineyard blocks. In the lower block of Viognier, planted on a 25% slope, the soil is light tan. In the Mourvèdre vineyard, at the highest elevation on the estate, the soil is a rusty red. The pH is slightly lower in the Mourvèdre block than in the Viognier block and the soil’s depth varies by block as well. The elevation on the estate varies between 2250 and 2430 feet above sea level. If you click the link above to the vineyard map you will also find a detailed spreadsheet containing every detail of every block planted at Starfield.
Let’s taste some wine and then we’ll talk new labels and hiking. All of the wines in this tasting are estate grown.
A Taste of Starfield Vineyards
2024 Starfield Vineyards Viognier, El Dorado AVA — pale yellow with generous aromas of white flowers and ripe peaches. Flavors are floral with ripe pears with citrusy notes and lively acidity. 13.7% ABV. 275 cases made. SRP $36
93% Viognier, 5% Roussanne, 2% Marsanne barrel fermented, without malolactic fermentation, and aged for 8 months in 36% new French oak. The lovely floral and fruit qualities aren’t tamped down by the oak fermentation and aging. Lovely wine.
2024 Starfield Vineyards Marsanne, El Dorado AVA — pale yellow with aromas of ripe pears and crushed gravel. Flavors follow the aromas with ripe pears, dusty gravel and citrus zest. Acidity is bright and the wine has a bit of roundness in the mouth. 12.9% ABV. 72 cases made. SRP $36
95% Marsanne, 5% Roussanne fermented in stainless steel and aged for 8 months in neutral French oak. One again, oak plays a supporting role in this delicious Marsanne.
2024 Starfield Vineyards Hope Rising, El Dorado AVA —pale yellow with aromas of white flowers, stone fruit and dusty gravel. Flavors are floral and tropical with citrus zest and bright acidity with a bit of roundness in the mouth. 13.4% ABV. 181 cases made. SRP $36
Blend of 45% Marsanne, 45% Roussanne, 10% Viognier. Each variety was fermented separately (Marsanne and Roussanne fermented in stainless steel; Viognier barrel fermented), without malolactic fermentation. The final blend was aged in 94% neutral French oak for 8 months.
Rising Hope was the name of a historic gold mine that operated near Placerville. The names of this wine and the red blend below are a nod to the California gold rush began in 1848 at Sutter’s Mill in nearby Coloma.
2023 Starfield Vineyards Cinsaut, El Dorado AVA — translucent ruby with aromas of plums and ripe berries. Flavors include dark cherries, plums and raspberries with a bit of earth. Tannins are fine and the wine is barely medium bodied. 13.3% ABV. 461 cases made. SRP $38
95% Cinsaut, 5% Grenache aged in mostly neutral French oak (81%) allow the fruit flavors to shine through.
2023 Starfield Vineyards Counoise, El Dorado AVA — translucent ruby with aromas of red cherries and red fruits. Flavors include red cherries, red berries, along with a bit of earth. Tannins are fine and drying in a barely medium body. 12.5% ABV. 95 cases made. SRP $38
Blend of 95% Counoise, 5% Grenache once again aged in mostly neutral French oak (76%). Lovely red fruit character and how often do you have the opportunity to taste a varietal Counoise?
2023 Starfield Vineyards Grenache, El Dorado AVA — translucent ruby with aromas of rose petals, blackberries, dry berry brambles and a bit of spice. Flavors include fed fruit, spice and dried herbs supported by fine, drying tannins in a barely medium body. 14.1% ABV. 378 cases made. SRP $42
Grenache stands alone in this 100% varietal wine aged in mostly neutral French oak.
2023 Starfield Vineyards Mourvèdre, El Dorado AVA — light ruby with aromas of ripe plums and blackberries along with hints of smoke and earth. Complex flavors include ripe blackberries and boysenberries, plums and earth. Flavors are fine and drying in a medium body. 14.3% ABV. 342 cases made. SRP $42
Just a splash, 1%, Roussanne added to the Mourvèdre and aged in 77% neutral French oak.
2023 Starfield Vineyards The Miner’s Inch, El Dorado AVA — medium ruby with aromas of earth and dark fruit. Flavors include red raspberries, blackberries, boysenberries and earth. Tannins are drying with a bit of grip. 14.9% ABV. 208 cases made. SRP $38
Interesting blend of 30% Grenache, 17% Aglianico, 14% Tempranillo, 14% Petite Sirah, 9% Mourvèdre, 9% Cinsaut, 4% Roussanne that is a sampling of grapes from across the Starfield estate. Once again, oak aging in mostly neutral French oak.
The Miner’s inch is a nod to El Dorado county’s mining history and is a measure of water flow used mining.
What I appreciate most about these Starfield wines are the pure fruit flavors expressed by each wine along with their lively acidity and modest alcohol.
The labels are new for all of these wines. They were designed by Rob using solargraphs he created using long-exposure photos taken with pinhole cameras he built and placed in the vineyard. The cameras captured the sun’s arc as it moved over the vineyards in early November. Rob integrated colors captured at sunrise, sunset, alpenglow and the northern lights into the solargraphs.
Sustainability efforts in the form of native forest buffers, planted bioswales, created ponds and gardens are on full view to visitors. There are 3 miles of nature trails through the landscape for visitors to enjoy. All of the vineyard’s beauty is visible from the tasting room, a renovated 1950s-era farmhouse, situated at the apex of the estate. Of course, there is a detailed map of Starfield Vineyards’ nature trails on the winery website.
Details, it’s all about the details, and the Sintons have seen to every detail. Their winery website has lots of information for the curious visitor and wines can be purchased on the website. The range of wines extends beyond these eight wines and includes sparkling wine, low alcohol wines and sweet vermouth.
Cheers!
