Windy Oaks Estate

Windy Oaks Estate is a family-owned winery in Corralitos, California, on a windy ridge overlooking Monterey Bay in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It was founded in 1996 by Jim and Judy Schultze, who returned to California after seven years living in Australia and Europe and planted their first three acres of vines on land that had previously been an old apple orchard. The estate produced its first vintage of Pinot Noir in 1999, built a new winery building the following year, and has since expanded to farm almost 30 acres of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah. The winery's stated objective, since that first 1999 vintage, has been to produce world-class Pinot Noir that faithfully represents its unique vineyard terroir, with no compromises. Viticulture is fully sustainable and incorporates many organic and biodynamic practices. In the cellar, Windy Oaks follows classic Burgundian techniques with an all-gravity flow, native-yeast fermentations that can take a month or more, aging on the lees in French oak for 17 to 27 months, and bottling without filtering or fining. The estate has also pioneered practices such as multi-stage pruning, leaf-pulling within the canopy, avoidance of hedging, and the use of a hot-air machine to reduce chemical sprays, alongside specially designed fermentation barrels and no barrel racking. Windy Oaks is a family business in the fullest sense. Jim Schultze serves as executive winemaker; he came to winemaking later in his career, after working as a corporate lawyer in Southern California and as a management consultant, and completed the winemaking certification program at the University of California at Davis. Judy Schultze handles marketing and manages the WineGroup. Their sons, James and Spencer, grew up learning the winery business, working in the vineyard, winery, and tasting rooms during teenage summers and college breaks. Beyond its estate grapes in Corralitos, Windy Oaks also manages grapes from Chalone and Santa Lucia Highlands, which receive the same gentle, minimal-intervention treatment in the winery. The estate welcomes visitors for tastings at three locations, with reservations highly recommended. Its wines have drawn praise from critics, including a Pinotfile Newsletter description of them as "Spectacularly Crafted Wines" and "Exceptional Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays."

Windy Oaks Estate was founded in 1996 by Jim and Judy Schultze, who returned to California after living overseas for seven years in Australia and Europe. They settled on a windy ridge in Corralitos, overlooking Monterey Bay, where the adjacent land had been an old apple orchard. Jim rehabilitated the land and planted the first three acres of Pinot Noir. Concurrently, he completed the winemaking certification program at the University of California at Davis, building on an interest in wine that had grown during his years abroad, when he visited wineries in Australia and helped with harvest one season, and when he and Judy toured vineyards and wineries on the Continent while living in London. With Jim as winemaker, Windy Oaks produced its first vintage of Pinot Noir in 1999. The following year, the family built a new winery building and continued to expand their Pinot Noir plantings, while also planting an acre of Chardonnay. Over time the estate grew to almost 30 acres of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah. The winery also began managing grapes from Chalone and Santa Lucia Highlands, which receive the same treatment in the cellar as the estate fruit. From the first vintage, the driving objective has been to produce world-class Pinot Noir that faithfully represents the unique vineyard terroir, with no compromises. The vineyards are farmed in a fully sustainable way, using many organic and biodynamic practices. In the winery, the approach is minimal intervention: fermentations start slowly with native yeast and often take a month or more; the facility is all-gravity; wines age on their lees in French oak for 17 to 27 months; and bottling is done without filtering or fining. In recent years, Windy Oaks has pioneered a variety of innovative practices. In the vineyard these include a multi-stage pruning process, leaf-pulling within the vine canopy, avoidance of hedging (inspired by Leroy in Burgundy), and the use of a hot-air machine to minimize the need for chemical sprays and to control undesirable insects. In the winery, they use naturally occurring yeast to eliminate the need for SO2 during crush, specially designed fermentation barrels to preserve delicate aromas and flavors, and no barrel racking. Aging on the lees is extended to enhance mouthfeel and phenolic integration, and all filtering and fining is eliminated, including for the white varietals. As a family-owned business, Jim and Judy's sons, James and Spencer, grew up learning the winery business intimately, working in the vineyard, winery, and tasting rooms during teenage summers and college breaks. Jim serves as executive winemaker, while Judy handles marketing and manages the WineGroup. The estate now welcomes visitors at three locations for tastings, with reservations highly recommended.

• 2000

  New winery building constructed; Pinot Noir plantings expanded and one acre of Chardonnay planted.

• 1999

  First vintage of Pinot Noir produced, with Jim Schultze as winemaker.

• 1996

  Windy Oaks Estate founded by Jim and Judy Schultze; first three acres of Pinot Noir planted in Corralitos, California.

Family-owned, terroir-driven Santa Cruz Mountains winery producing world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay through sustainable farming and minimal-intervention, Burgundian winemaking.

• Estate Pinot Noir

  Flagship red wine made from estate grapes in Corralitos using classic Burgundian techniques, native yeast, gravity flow, and aging on the lees in French oak for 17 to 27 months without filtering or fining.

• Estate Chardonnay

  White wine from estate Chardonnay, made with the same minimal-intervention approach and bottled without filtering or fining.

• Syrah

  Red varietal farmed among the estate's almost 30 acres of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah.

1. 1Windy Oaks Estate | Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir & Chardonnaywindyoaksestate.com
2. 2Our Team | Windy Oaks Estatewindyoaksestate.com
3. 3Philosophy - Windy Oaks Estatewindyoaksestate.com
4. 4Winemaking - Windy Oaks Estatewindyoaksestate.com
5. 5Windy Oaks Estatewikidata.org