I BRAND & FAMILY CALIFORNIA
Ian Brand puts a lot of miles on his car exploring & discovering great vineyards at the edge of sensible farming in Central California. He finds the remote, challenging vineyards, that are capable of producing only the most idiosyncratic wines, with hard depleted soils & intense sunlight tempered only by the coastal breeze. His goal is to lightly polish the roughest edges & leave the idiosyncrasy intact. It is there in the back country of Monterey & San Benito county that Ian’s wines come to life.
The I. Brand & Family wines are small lot, single-vineyard selections that Ian wishes to showcase.
The value-driven, French inspired Paysan line (the name refers to the French term for a country peasant) presents unpretentious, French-inspired “country” wines.
La Marea (The Tide), is a tiny winery focused on single vineyard Spanish varietals “rooted in the sea, the soil and the sea air”. Brand believes Monterey and San Benito to be some of the most ideally suited climates in California for Spanish varietals like Albariño, Grenache (Garnacha) and Mourvedre (Monastrell).
“We are not in “wine country” nor do we have trophy wineries. This is farm land, desolate hills & solitude. What we do is simple, without artifice & we enjoy it.”
Wines:
I Brand Arneis, ‘Vista Verde Vineyard’ Paicines, San Benito County
I Brand Pinot Gris, Eden Rift Vineyard, Cienega Valley, San Benito
I Brand Chardonnay, Escolle Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands
I Brand Cabernet Franc, Bayly Ranch, Paicines, San Benito
I Brand Cabernet Sauvignon, Fellom Ranch, Montebello Ridge, Santa Cruz Mts
I Brand Cabernet Sauvignon, Bates Ranch, Santa Cruz Mts
Paysan Chardonnay, Jacks’ Hill
Paysan Sauvignon Blanc, Zabala Vineyard
Paysan Central Coast Rhône Blend Rosé
Paysan Cabernet Sauvignon, Old Vines, San Benito County
Paysan Central Coast Red Rhône Blend, ‘Le P’Tit Pape’
La Marea Albariño, Kristy Vineyard
La Marea Grenache, Central Coast