(707) 963-4204
Email: info@conundrumwines.com
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Our wine’s core profile remains thoroughly Californian, with Sauvignon Blanc grapes from the Napa Valley, Muscat Canelli from Tulare County on the Central Coast, and Chardonnay and Viognier from our vineyards in Monterey County. The “puzzle” of Conundrum lies partly in guessing the range of grape varieties we use, because we never reveal its exact composition.
At our production-only Conundrum winery in the Santa Lucia Highlands of Monterey County, about one-quarter of the wine lots were fermented in stainless steel in order to preserve their individual fruit characteristics. The remaining lots were fermented in a combination of new and seasoned oak barrels for up to ten months.
Conundrum is an excellent food wine that can be enjoyed with a wide variety of international cuisines and a whole range of courses, from appetizers through dessert. To fully enjoy its aromas and flavors, the wine is best served slightly chilled.
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Winemaker Jon Bolta
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Jon Bolta acquired his winemaking skills in a very direct way, learning on the job. He had joined Caymus Vineyards in the Napa Valley in 1983, and worked successively on the bottling line, in the cellar and in the vineyards. Then, working closely with Caymus owner Chuck Wagner, he began to assist in winemaking.<br><br>In 1988, he was named winemaker for white wines, and he began to craft the style for Conundrum, a nontraditional white wine blend that would first be released from the 1989 vintage. The goal for this wine, says Jon, was "full flavored fruit, but also complexity and balance" in a blend designed specifically to pair with the creative dishes being offered by a new generation of chefs.<br> <br> <br> When Conundrum was established as an independent brand with the 2001 vintage, Jon continued as winemaker. He has also taken on the job of Production Director.<br><br>Jon believes that the five white wine varietals used to make Conundrum allow him great creativity in the multiple choices he makes from vineyard through bottling. His winemaking direction, he says, begins with "real advances in viticultural practices, like new trellising systems, leaf pulling and crop thinning. By increasing our control of sun and air exposure, we get richer fruit."<br><br>Jon's winemaking goal is to continue to improve and evolve the quality of this wine, which he considers "outside the typical parameters for white wines. People often call this wine 'exotic,' and I think that's a fitting description. There is nothing else like it out there."
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