Spur Road Wines
Get the Dirt from winemaker Sam Buckingham
“What makes working with Pinot Noir so special is how it can truly show a sense of place, seeing the difference from neighboring vineyards or even sites miles away is always a revelation.”
What was your first vintage year? Spur Road’s inaugural vintage was in 2021. We had a small start, picking solely from the vines that we tended. We spent 8 months prior to this vintage bringing a neglected vineyard in the Sebastopol Hills back to life. Cutting away blackberry bushes and pruning unruly vines.
How many cases do you make per vintage? We made 26 cases for our first vintage in 2021. With dedication and precise pruning, we were able to boost production to 115 cases in 2022.
Do you have a Tasting Room? Not yet, but maybe someday.
Who is your winemaker? Our winemakers are myself and Amanda Kern. We both started in the wine industry as traveling harvest interns, working harvests in New Zealand, Oregon, Australia and France, where we met one another. I hail from The Bay Area and always dreamed of making wine in my home state. When the opportunity to farm the Nozzari Vineyard presented itself, we were thrilled to take on the challenge and grow our experience and knowledge.
What wine made you want to become a winemaker/start your own winery?
Pinot Noir is where we both got our start in the wine industry, and it will forever hold a special place in our hearts.
What varietals do you work with?
We produce Pinot Noir, which we have shared an affinity for from around the globe. With the shared experience we wanted to craft distinct, site driven wines that showcase a more fresh and refined version of this delicate grape.
What vineyards do you source from?
We source from Nozzari Vineyard in the Sebastopol Hills – an Estate on a long-term lease by Spur Road Wines. We hand farm the vineyard and see to every detail, from pruning to suckering to picking to crush. Sonoma Coast has always been a beautiful place for Pinot to grow, with plenty of maritime influence and rolling hills. We believed from the beginning that this site would fit our winemaking style and showcase the true elegance of Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and continue to be varietally correct.
What type of oak treatment do you use?
We have just introduced oak into our program as of vintage 2023. We use 100% French Oak and new oak that is more of a structural component than a major aspect of the wines aromatics and palate.
What do you love about your winemaking region? What makes it different special?
Sonoma County is such an incredibly diverse place to craft wine. From the Russian River to the Sonoma Coast, there are endless styles of Pinot Noir to be tried. Sonoma County is such a unique location because the winemaking techniques and styles are truly limitless. What makes working with Pinot Noir so special is how it can truly show a sense of place, seeing the difference from neighboring vineyards or even sites miles away is always a revelation.
What’s the story behind your winery name / label?
Spur Road was born out of a love for the vineyard that we tend. There is so much history in those storied vines and we wanted to pay homage to the wood by maintaining a spur pruning style. Our label depicts a newly budding vine that had been pruned over the dormant season. The label initially communicates the beauty of a newly broken bud, but as the bottle is rotated, its anatomical and technical roots are illustrated. This shows the duality of what we love, the artistry and technical side of the wine industry.
What's the one thing you wish someone had told you about the wine business before you started your own winery?
It will be an extremely difficult road, there are more things on the business side to learn. The winemaking and grape growing are the easy parts, but learning compliance, accounting, ordering and everything else that makes the business run is a massive challenge. We spend as much if not more time going down youtube rabbit holes on learning Quickbooks or time on the CDTFA website reporting taxes than actual wine work. It is all part of the industry and all are necessary to make it run but getting over the learning curve is the biggest challenge.
Most importantly, what's so great about being small? What can you do as a small winemaker, that wouldn't be possible for larger wineries?
We feel so fortunate to be a small winery. It has allowed us to make mistakes, take risks and push ourselves out of our comfort zones without having anyone else be impacted by our decisions. It is truly a creation of our own and we could not be more proud of what we have to show for it.
How do you view the future in the wine industry for small-lot winemakers?
We are very eager to see how the industry shifts in the future. We look around at a few of our friends who are small lot winemakers and are so excited to see what they made last harvest and of what's in the cards for them. They continue to inspire us and make really fun wines that are a bit off the beaten path or not the norm in today’s wine culture. We think and hope the industry is at the start of a micro renaissance of better, fresher and exciting wine!
If you could choose another wine region to work in what would it be?
We both finished harvest hopping around the same time due to Covid. One place that is still on our list to work a harvest in is Chile. Having the opportunity to be immersed in the cultural experience, gastronomy and wine making techniques is still a dream. Maybe one day…
For more information about Spur Road Wines, please visit their website or follow them on Instagram.