Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
The Au Contraire range of wines comes from top vineyards in appellations known for their stellar style and quality, including the Russian River Valley, Carneros and the Sonoma Coast.
Au Contraire Chardonnay is harvested from the heart of Russian River Valley to the western edges of Green Valley bordering Sonoma Coast. This area has an ideal climate with fog influences and cool nights, providing an extended growing season and grapes that maintain their natural acidity and showcase the purity of the terroir.
A blend of Sonoma Coast vineyards from Sebastopol to the Fort Ross Seaview AVA overlooking the Pacific make up Au Contraire Pinot Noir. These warmer vineyard sites sit above the fog line, delivering a cool climate style Pinot Noir with highly concentrated fruit flavors.
The charming French expression, Au Contraire, was often used by the beloved founder of Palm Bay International, producer of Au Contraire wines, David S. Taub, usually preceding an insight that took a turn from conventional wisdom. His son, President & CEO Marc D. Taub, fittingly adopted his father’s favorite saying to dedicate this brand to him to honor his 50 years in the business and his passion, vision and leadership.
Outstanding quality is guaranteed by legendary California enologist Tom Hinde and his experienced team of viticulturists. Tom’s expansive career in California wine spans three decades and brings with it a breadth of industry knowledge. He is involved in every aspect of the growing and winemaking process.
The Sonoma Coast AVA is large in area but, not counting overlapping regions like Russian River Valley, only has a few thousand acres of grapevines—and it’s no wonder. Much of the region is rugged and not easily accessible. Its proximity to the Pacific Ocean’s fog and cool breezes limits the varieties that can be cultivated, but it proves to be an ideal environment for high quality Pinot Noir.
Since fog is a frequent fact of life here, as are heavy marine layers that sometimes bring rain, the best vineyards are wisely planted above the fog line, on picturesque ridges that capture enough sun to provide even ripening. That, with the overnight drop in temperature that reliably preserves acidity, results in fine expressions of Pinot Noir that often receive tremendous critic and consumer praise alike, and are often in high demand.