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44 W i n e s & V i n e s J U n e 2 0 1 4 H olman Ranch in Carmel Valley, Calif., is a tripartite enterprise. The original guest ranch and hacienda, built in 1928 and carefully restored by the current owners, now serve as an event venue run by hospitality director Hunter Lowder. The riding sta- bles and horse-training operation are rented by several horse owners and train- ers. And the 19 acres of estate vineyards and cave winery are the passion of Nick Elliott, Lowder's husband. "My mother and father always wanted to own a vineyard and winery, as they spent many vacations biking and hiking through Tuscany and Provence," Lowder explains. "When my mother was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's, they decided to move quickly to make that dream come true. They started looking for properties, and we stumbled upon Holman Ranch. We purchased it in June 2006 with the intent to plant vineyards and olive groves and build a winery." Since the Lowders were not farmers or winemakers, they sought out expert pro- fessionals. Vineyard consultant Todd Kenyon studied at the University of Cali- fornia, Davis, and also has worked with Bernardus Vineyards & Winery in Carmel Valley. Winemaker Greg Vita, another Davis alum, spent many years with Spring Mountain Vineyards in Napa Valley before becoming a consulting winemaker in California's Monterey and Santa Cruz Mountains areas. Planting vineyards The Carmel Valley AVA is a rare one in California, running from east to west and about 12 miles inland from the Monterey Bay. Like the Anderson Valley further north, Carmel Valley enjoys warm day- time temperatures with cooling morning and evening fog during the growing sea- son, favorable conditions for growing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Vines are kept slightly stressed, and production is limited to about 3 tons per acre at Hol- man Ranch. The vineyards are now CCOF certified, and the winery attained Winemaking in a Cave Estate winery Holman Ranch emphasizes Pinot Noir in California's Carmel Valley By Tina Vierra mccullough photography Highlights • the newest owners of historic holman ranch have added vineyards and a cave winery. • Winemaking in a cave presented safety and space challenges that were clev- erly overcome by design and planning. • the winery's clonal pinot Noir program carries from vineyard to winery through a special clonal bottling and tasting. Holman Ranch Winery is built entirely inside a cave on a hillside above Carmel Valley, Calif. G R A P E G R O W I N G W I N E M A K I N G TECHNICAL REVIEW