The wine is the 2019 Beau Marchais Rodrigue Hortalez Central Coast Pinot Noir. It’s a blend of grapes from the Soberanes Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands and the Clos Pepe Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills. Produced using Philippe’s unique production methods, and aged in a combination of new and older French oak, the wine is a slightly less concentrated version of the other Beau Marchais Pinots. Phiippe and I produced this wine specifically for charity purposes as we believe that it is vital that we give back as we have been doubly blessed in our wine careers (in case you are wondering about the name, check out this link: ).

Second, the charity. The Mighty Oakes Heart Foundation is a charity that is near and dear to my heart. I first met Becky and Greg Ortyl almost a decade ago. At the time, they had recently given birth to a beautiful son named Oakes. Oakes was perfect except that he had a congenital heart defect which ended up cutting his life to a mere 15 months. Throughout it all, the Ortyls were amazing and, after Oakes passing, they founded the Mighty Oakes Heart Foundation to help families that find themselves in similar situations with a child. For the life of me, I don’t know how they managed to find the courage and strength to not only survive but also to overcome and help others, but they have done so for almost a decade now. You can read more about the Mighty Oakes Heart Foundation here: