Osocalis

Founder/Distiller	Daniel Farber
Address	Near Soquel, Santa Cruz Mountains, CA
Phone	(831) 477-1718
Web Site	http://www.osocalis.com
Email
Founded	Early 1990s
First Release	2003

Overview

Distillery, not a winery. Makes distilled spirits - Cognac-style grape brandy, Calvados-style apple brandy, Grappa and Eau-de-Vie. Vision of Daniel Farber. Viticulture, winemaking, engineering, distilling, barreling, aging all by single person's palate.

Location

Santa Cruz Mountains near Soquel - forest home of Osocalis distillery and aging cellar. Vineyard and orchard near Watsonville.

Terroir

Purisima Formation - Complex geology from plate tectonic interactions, tens of millions of years old.

Soil types:

• Sandy loam (<2m thick) overlying highly fractured Purisima Formation bedrock
• Highly-fractured Purisima Formation sandstone (very low yielding, red-wine production, steepest slopes)
• Thin (<1m) sandy loam over Purisima Formation sandstone
• Organic rich silty loam (apple orchards, good water retention)

Vineyards

Purism Formation vineyard site near Corralitos. Dry farmed. Select exotic grape varieties grown and vinified for distillation:

Traditional varieties: Semillon, Folle Blanche Non-traditional varieties: Pinot Noir, Viognier

Focus on flavors and acidity for low-alcoholic wines required for great spirits.

Apple Orchards

Over 50 varieties of traditional French cider apples. Planted Haute-tige (three parts: roots, interstem, fruiting head) on full-size rootstock. Dry farmed. Decades to establish, productive for 80 years, no irrigation required.

Distillation

Traditional Alambic Charantais still.

Maturation

Years of intentional barrel maturation. Different wood regimes, different cellars (wet and dry). Spirits nurtured from barrel entry to bottling as strength decreases.

Spirits

Varying age and complexion, from blends or single lots, selected for singular stylistic profiles. Bottled, coded and released, never to be reproduced.

"Cellar-work" season between distillation and tending plants - blending, selecting, hand-bottling.