Old Acre Wines. Former tennis pro turned tour manager for True Temper Sports, Simon Wilson spent 10 years touring with the PGA including numerous travels around the world to various tournaments with significant time spent in airplanes (we know the feeling). During his time working for True Temper Sports, a Memphis, TN based but a global company that manufacturers stainless steels golf club shafts among other sports equipment, he met and became friends with numerous golfers and would often meet up internationally for dinners.
It was over food where friendships were deepened; so was his exposure to various wines from around the world. He became curious and then passionate about wines – passion often leads to obsession in this business; he began to ask why certain wines were better than others, why certain wines were priced so much higher than others and eventually began to take a number of wine focused trips to northern California wine regions. And he began to dig deeper and began thinking about getting into the business somehow – beyond being a passionate consumer.
Simon initially thought about importing some of the wines he enjoyed to California and opening a retail location or a tasting room in Dana Point. That tasting room came later (see our notes below). But several of his friends who were professional golfers on the PGA circuit encouraged him to make his own wine. He soon searched for “how to make wine in the Napa Valley”; one of the listings that immediately popped up was The Wine Foundry, a state-of-the-art winery which produces wines for a number of clients sourcing from premium vineyards with access to numerous varieties. After talking to their General Manager at the time, Steve Ryan, Simon was in Napa touring their winery and meeting the team the next week.
This was in 2014. Hooked by what he saw, he decided to bottle his first wine that year, a 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon from Rutherford. The benefit of having wine made at the Wine Foundry is that one can be as hands off or as hands on as they like. Over the years Simon has become very hands on – working in tandem with winemaker Patrick Saboe in regard to all related viticulture and wine making decisions. An it’s not only Patrick who has been a mentor to Simon but numerous others including winemaker Juan Mercado (Realm Cellars). As Simon admits, if it weren’t for these individuals, surely, he would have made more mistakes over the years.
Simon enjoys the behind scenes part of winemaking and compares those in the wine business to those who play professional golf. As with wine and golf, some are born into the business – whereas others, like Simon come from all walks of life.
Select Wines
Whites/Rosé
The white and rosé wines are bottled under the ‘L’ Series, an homage to Simon’s wife, Laurel.
The 2022 Old Acre L Rosé, California (Pinot Noir) is medium copper in color; the bouquet is highly aromatic offering aromas of kumquat, an orange peel zest, a minerally/flinty character, dried rose petals, freshly cut grass, raspberries and strawberries. As it continues to evolve, it opens to a note of vanilla. The minerally attribute on the bouquet is also reflected on the palate, accompanied by flavors of strawberry limeade, watermelon jolly rancher, strawberry guava, ruby grapefruit, lemon verbena and Gravenstein apple. We love how its fleshy and rounded mouth feel is complemented by a zesty and persistent acidity. We would love to pair this with a warm late spring day and a fresh garden salad topped with Dungeness crab.
The 2020 Old Acre L Rosé is 80% Tempranillo and 20% Mourvèdre sourced from the Heringer Vineyard in Clarksburg. The scents offer notes of lime, lemon and raspberry notes with a minerality and a pencil shaving nuance deeper into the bouquet. Highly aromatic. On the palate there are flavors of citrus including grapefruit and an orange zest note. The mouthfeel is slightly rounded in texture which is balanced nicely by the acidity. Lingers with a bright and refreshing character.
The 2018 Old Acre L Blanc de Blanc, Carneros Sonoma Coast is medium gold in color; the brightly lit bouquet offers aromas of freshly cored golden apples, lemon zest, honeydew melon, a minerally/flinty character and a light note of white toast. The palate is bright and refreshing; minerally it offers flavors of green apple, lemon juice, kumquat, unripe pineapple, white peach and white nectarine. The finish lingers with a zesty bounce. We tried this wine 6 years post vintage. For best results, pair with an intimate view of the Pacific Ocean and fresh oysters.
The 2022 Old Acre L Blanc California is a blend of Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, Gewürztraminer and Viognier. This wine is medium gold in color; the attractive bouquet offers scents of crenshaw melon, pineapple, Golden delicious apples, chamomile, honeysuckle, beeswax, lanolin and apricots. On the palate there are flavors of comise pear, pineapple guava, apple and Babcock peach. The fleshy mouth feel is complemented nicely by its bright and lingering acidity. Our recommended paring: an assortment of sushi and sashimi.
The 2022 Old Acre L Chardonnay Sonoma is deep gold in color; the bouquet offers aromas of melting butter, hazelnut, apricot, yellow peaches, warm honey and peach blossoms. The palate reveals flavors of yellow peaches, nectarines, apricot, honeycomb and toasted almond. Light across the palate in terms of texture, it sports a silky and supple mouth feel. Its bright acidity lets you know this is not a ‘typical’ California Chardonnay. And its oak profile is a complementary character rather than a detracting one. Superbly balanced, both flavor and brightness persist for some time. Refreshing is not a word we often use to describe California Chardonnay, but this adjective perfectly describes this bottling. This wine was aged for 11 months in both new and French oak bottlings.
Reds
The 2019 Old Acre Stagecoach Cabernet Franc is deep ruby in color; the bouquet offers an immediate spicy and floral character. These aromas include violets, lilacs, light jalapeno, sweet cherry, blueberry, dark raspberry and a sweet tobacco spice. It scents as a whole reminded us the overall scent we always notice when we open our Le Nez du Vin, a 54 wine aroma box. The nose is highly distinctive and we would like to think we could pick this out of a lineup of other Napa Valley 100% varietal Cabernet Francs from this vintage. Balanced and bright, on the palate there are flavors of blueberry, red cherry, red plum, dark raspberry and dried herbs including sage. The tannins are seamlessly integrated, sporting a lightly grainy character on the finish.
Stagecoach Vineyard on Atlas Peak has become a valuable vineyard source over the years for Old Acre; Simon began using grapes from this vineyard prior to when GALLO purchased the site and continues to do so.
The 2018 Old Acre Stagecoach Cabernet Sauvignon is deep ruby; the bouquet sports aromas of dark cherry, dark raspberry, blood orange, cinnamon stick, mocha, caramel and vanilla. On the palate there are flavors of dark raspberry, blackberry, plum and dark cherry. The gravelly tannins outlast the fruit on the finish and persist with a drying character. Balanced acidity. Six years post vintage, this wine is showing in a sweet spot right now. This is a medium bodied hillside Cabernet Sauvignon that will appeal to a wide diversity of palates. In terms of food pairing, its character is versatile; our first thought was to enjoy with this our favorite BBQ chicken wing recipe including a sauce of crushed garlic, black pepper, oyster sauce, soy sauce and a pinch of salt and sugar.
The 2017 Old Acre Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet Franc is 95% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Malbec. Medium ruby to dark ruby in color. Offers initial notes of toasted cedar. Give this one time, the fruit becomes more expressive as it evolves in the glass. The bouquet is lively including aromas of plum along with dust, and sweaty leather. The nose is slightly savory including notes of dried herbs. Both grape and wood tannins are well integrated and gravelly in texture. This wine has an enjoyable density and a pleasing texture.
The 2018 Old Acre Lindsey’s Vineyard Pinot Noir from Santa Rita Hills includes two clones – primarily 667 along with 777. It offers plenty of fruit on the bouquet with a hint of darker spice, mushroom and rose stems. Medium ruby in color. Notes of cherries and a slight herbal nuance. Spent 11 months of oak but shows just a hint of oak on the bouquet. Oak should never dominate wines from this variety and the oak here takes a complementary and back seat approach. That palate sports bright red fruits including currant, cranberry, red cherry and a kiss of red licorice. The tannins are supple and nicely integrated. This wine shows the typicity of the variety very well. This wine is not produced every year.
The 2017 Old Acre Hillside Block, Cabernet Sauvignon is deep ruby and opaque; both dark and sweetly fruited, the bouquet reveals scents of ripe Santa Rosa plum (this aromatic reminded us of picking these plums from the ground in mid summer when we were a child from a tree in our backyard), blackberry jam, boysenberry preserves, other assorted dried berries, dark chocolate and pink peppercorn. For reference, we tasted this wine 7 years post vintage. The palate features dark fruits, dark spices and a savory character including of dried herbs. Its flavors include plum, blackberry, dark cherry, ground pepper, smoked sage and a light note of toasted ok on the finish. The tumbled but still grainy tannins linger with a dusty character and a moderate to firm grip fully coating the palate. We would love to pair this with a BBQ and a well marbled Wagyu steak, medium rare, please.
The 2016 Old Acre Proprietary Red Blend is an intriguing wine both for the varieties used as well as the vineyard sources. This blend is 62% Syrah, 15% Malbec, 10% Petite Sirah, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot. It is a wine sure to appeal to a number of different palates. One immediately notices the influences from the Syrah on the bouquet including a meatiness, mushroom notes and gaminess. The oak is there but the fruit certainly dominates. Well layered on the palate, it features flavors of blackberry and boysenberry. This wine is an expression of opulence, but it is not over ripe. The brightness on the finish compliments the fruit along with dry long-lasting tannins. Lots of life ahead of this one. It was aged for 28 months in 50% new French oak including barrels from Taransaud, Remond, Bosseut and Vicard.
The 2013 Old Acre Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Rutherford Bench is 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% petite Verdot and 1% Merlot. Shows a little browning on the edges from its age; for reference, we tasted 8 years post vintage date. This wine is medium to dark ruby in color. Offers of sweetness of aroma on the bouquet including cherry, along with dried rose petals, notes of chocolate and very subtle baking spices. There are also scents of Graham cracker and a hint of dry tobacco deeper into the aromatics. The brightness of acidity has carried this wine through the years, with a lively finish including flavors of currant and red cherry. It is balanced with slightly chalky tannins. This was the inaugural release and vintage for Old Acre. 1,200 bottles were produced and each one was numbered.
The Old Acre red wines spend two years in barrel and then another 2 years in bottle before being released. As a result, the current vintages of the Old Acre wines are generally a year or two behind conventional winery releases.
Old Acre Winery Tasting Lounge, Dana Point
Located in downtown Dana Point at 24921 Dana Point Harbor Dr, Suite B140, this tasting lounge opened in July 2023 and is one of several along this part of Southern California’s coastline connected to wineries in Napa Valley, including the Bravante Vineyards Lido Tasting room in Newport Beach and LJ Wine Craft’s tasting room in Bird Rock (La Jolla). The space was formerly used for a bridge club; after the transition in occupancy Old Acre gutted the interior, added new dry wall, and redid the floor and ceilings and added a commercial kitchen. The interior is spacious with plenty of seating; an outdoor patio also offers additional seating.
This tasting lounge offers a number of ways to enjoy the wine, by flight, glass, bottle or sample pours of their reserve wines from the WineEmotion Wine Machines. Beer and cider are also available – including at discounted prices during their daily happy hour. And what is missing in most tasting rooms in Napa Valley, primarily due to permitting, is food. Old Acre Tasting Room offers a wide variety of small bites as part of their ‘lounge menu’ as well as a lunch menu including sandwiches. And besides wines, patrons can also order diversity of other drinks including wine cocktails (margaritas and mojitos), beer and a crisp selection of ciders.
Several larger hotels are located nearby including the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach and the Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa. Old Acre provides space to host a variety of private corporate events including team building exercises. And the space hosts a variety of musicians throughout parts of the year with live music happening on Friday and Saturdays.
Wine Lounge memberships are available, offering discounts and additional perks.
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When deciding upon a name for the brand, Simon knew immediately he did not want to name it after himself but rather wanted to honor history including some of historic and old golf courses he has visited around the world, i.e., St. Andrews. And the word acre ties into the land – the terroir if you will.
Simon and his wife Laurel have built this brand from the ground up with no investors – their approach is both organic and persistent, slowly but surely introducing their wines to select markets.
Having lived in Orange County since the 1980s Simon has established numerous relationships in the area for his wines, primarily at restaurants including at the La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla and the Harbor Grill in Dana Point but also at select wine shops including Hi-Time Wine Cellars in Costa Mesa. Total production each year is around 1,000 cases. For more information, to join one of their wine clubs or to schedule a tasting, please visit: www.oldacrewinery.com
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