Our Philosophy
Simple….grow and craft a classic wine that accurately reflects its pure and honest heritage and birthplace.
For over a decade we have endeavored to fulfill our dream and satisfy our passion for wines of excellence born of our soil and nurtured with skilled hands. Along the way we have always remembered a favorite quote, “Find a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” And so it is with this labor of love for making great wines.
In looking at the famous wine estates of the world, we have found a common winegrowing philosophy that is often expressed as “The Chateaux Model.” One estate, one exceptional wine. We see it all the time from Bordeaux and Italy and the other prized wine regions of the world including our illustrious neighbors to the north. Our focus on crafting a singularly unique expression of “Terroir” or “Place” is exemplified in our flagship estate grown red, CANA.
Some have asked the origin of the CANA name. The answer is one steeped in miraculous historical significance. For it was at the ancient city of Cana that during a wedding feast water was miraculously turned into wine. Imagine how delicious that must have been! Likewise, we find somewhat miraculous our exceptional and unique soils that support our vines. It would seem that the pioneers of over 100 years ago who initially planted Italian and Portuguese varieties in our region knew exactly what they were doing.
In honoring that heritage, we craft CANA from as many as eight varietals grown on our estate. The blend can vary from vintage to vintage as our goal is to express what the soil, vine and season has given us in the best wine possible. Under the CANA Signature Series, we sometimes craft small lots of unique varietals bearing the names of the youngest generation of the Tamayo family. These handcrafted, small lot wines are often portioned from grapes destined for the CANA blend. However, a prolific growing season combined with their own unique varietal personality inspires us to showcase these varietals in their own bottlings.
In addition to producing CANA wines from our Contra Costa estate, we offer a variety of other varietal bottlings from the best appellations in California. These appellation specific wines feature varietals that, like our flagship wine, accurately reflect their unique origins. Please look for these classic varietal wines grown in Napa, Sonoma and Monterey counties under our Tamayo Family Vineyards label.
It is our sincerest desire that our labor of love, our passion and dreams expressed in each bottling finds a treasured place in your cellar, at your table and with your friends and family. Enjoy!
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