Fox Hill is an organically farmed, Italian oasis in Mendocino, owned and farmed by Broc Cellars. Add a slice of Italy to your table with any of these site-specific wines. Read more about the vineyard here.
THE STORY: This wine is like an acoustic version of your favorite song. There’s the familiar lyrics and singer you love, but it feels like a whole new song when you tone down the beat and nix an instrument or two. In the last few years, we’ve harvested the Trebbiano from Fox Hill Vineyard exclusively for our beautiful skin-contact Amore Bianco blend. The exact Bianco blend ratio of Trebbiano, Ribolla Gialla and Tocai Friulano changes every year depending on how the fruit coalesces together in the glass. This year, we used less Trebbiano in the blend, which meant we could give it a chance to snag the spotlight in a single variety bottling. We harvested the Trebbiano in September, pressed it to stainless steel tank for fermentation after 2 days on the skins. It aged in neutral oak barrique for 13 months. Trebbiano is a traditionally high acid grape that’s great for food pairing. We suggest hard cheeses, oily pastas, seafood and white meat.
FUN FACT: In France, Trebbiano is known as Ugni Blanc.
VARIETIES: 100% Trebbiano
LOCATION: Fox Hill Vineyard - Mendocino
FARMING PRACTICES: CCOF Certified Organic
ALCOHOL: 12%
2023 Fox Hill Vermentino
Regular price
$ 36.00
Save $ -36.00
Tasting Notes: Fennel, zesty lime peel, and a hint of black pepper
This skin contact Vermentino is a new one for us from Fox Hill Vineyard, our estate in Mendocino. It saw just a kiss of skin contact, which gives the wine a subtle structure that is perfect for lighter meat dishes and hearty pastas. One of our staff members took a sip and declared it “the perfect white wine for pizza!” We couldn’t agree more.
The Vermentino was destemmed and macerated on the skins for two days. We tasted the must daily to monitor the progression of skin contact and pressed it at just the right moment. The Vermentino fermented in stainless tank and then settled in to age in concrete tank for seven months.
FUN FACT: The two stones on the label are grinding stones found at Fox Hill that were used by Indigenous Americans to grind acorns.
Tasting Notes: Elderflower, earl gray, lime soda water
A deep rosé-like expression of Negroamaro. Typically, we weave it into our Amore Rosso blend each year to give it a little aromatic lift. However, this year we loved the color, texture and fruit so much we knew it needed its own time to shine.
The grapes were lightly foottread and kept on the skins for two days. After it picked up a beautiful color from the skins, we pressed it into our large oval Hungarian oak barrique. It naturally fermented and aged in the oak vessel for seven months.
FUN FACT: Negroamaro is a drought-resistant grape mostly found in Southern Italy and often is used as a blending grape.
Tasting Notes: delicate notes of poached pear and refreshing lemon water, combining rich fruitiness with a bright, citrusy finish.
An intriguing medium-bodied white with humble aromatics, we’re excited to unleash this tantalizing Italian white! Arneis grows well at Fox Hill, our vineyard in Mendocino County, where hot beaming days echo the grape’s native homeland of Piedmont in Northern Italy. We harvested the Arneis in mid-September and kept vinification simple. The grapes saw a light footstomp and then headed directly to the press. We fermented the Arneis and aged in stainless tank for 7 months. Refreshing with good-natured acidity, the Arneis will pair well with delicate sea food, prosciutto, or hearty citrus-y salads.
FUN FACT: Arneis means “Little Rascal” in Piemontese.
Old World influence meets California terroir. This wine is bursting with food-friendly acidity and fruit that’s ready for dinner tonight, with a playful intensity and tannin structure that can handle light aging. Typically, we tuck the Sangiovese into our Amore Rosso, but this year we let it shine on its own. This is a mix of Sangiovese Piccolo (smaller berries) and Grosso (much larger berries) that grow at Fox Hill Vineyard. They thrive in the hilly, rocky soil and climate that mirrors its Tuscan homeland. We harvested the Sangiovese early to preserve its acidity. We fermented it in stainless steel tank, pressed and then aged in neutral French oak barrique for nine months. Unfined and unfiltered.
Tasting Notes: Boysenberry, Fig jam and Oyster-shell
A fun coferment that drinks like adult Kool-Aid, easy and thirst-quenching during peak summer or sunny autumn days. We combined the Trebbiano and a mixture of destemmed and whole cluster Montepulciano together in a stainless steel tank for a week. We then pressed the fermented wine to age in a combination of sandstone jarre and neutral oak barriques.
FUN FACT: The wine is inspired by the song Cuccurucucu by Franco Battiato, an Italian composer and pop singer.
Tasting Notes: Intriguing medley of green mango, jackfruit, and lychee, enriched by notes of honeycomb, honeydew, and a hint of green tea.
The Bianco bursts with lychee, orange stone fruits and constantly evolves in the glass. Our first vintage was 100% Tocai Fruilano, later adding Trebbiano and Ribolla Gialla to showcase the lively side of an Italian skin contact wine with grapes all grown at Fox Hill Vineyard. We kept the Trebbiano off the skins this year and instead directly pressed it to ferment in stainless steel before aging in neutral oak barrique. The Friulano and Ribolla Gialla co-fermented together on their skins. Two-thirds of the wine was pressed into concrete tank to age. The remaining into sandstone jarres. The sandstone jarre gives the wine that luminous amber color and subtle structure from the tannins. We fall more in love with what the sandstone jarres bring to the wine each year. It’s a great example of the role vessels can play in bringing a wine to life. Friendly with food or even a little cellar time.
FUN FACT: Our first vintage was 100% Tocai Fruilano.
The Amore Blendo is a quintessential Italian table wine that has a special new blend of red and white grapes. This vintage of the Blendo is a freshly layered mix of Grignolino, Erbaluce, Nebbiolo, Dolcetto and Freisa, which all live at our Fox Hill Vineyard in Mendocino County. All the grapes in this blend are historically grown in Italy’s Piemonte region. We fermented the Blendo in two of our concrete cubes.
Immediately after the grapes were brought in, we layered the whole cluster Dolcetto, Erbaluce, Nebbiolo and Grignolino into the tank parfait-style for carbonic maceration. This is when the alcoholic fermentation starts within each individual berry, a process that minimizes tannins and maximizes fruit-forward notes in the wine. It underwent carbonic fermentation for 10 days before we pressed it back into concrete to age for seven months. We blended in the Freisa, which we destemmed and pressed after a week of skin maceration and daily punchdowns, shortly after it finished fermentation.
FUN FACT: Concrete fermentation and aging focuses fruit on the front of the palate- making the wine taste more fresh early on in the aging process. We love how it expresses this wine.
Tasting notes: Baked cherry, Late Season Raspberry, Black tea
The Amore Rosso inspires conviviality and is our nod to delicious old school classic red table wine. This vintage is a slightly different blend. A Barbera and Dolcetto co-ferment still make up the majority of the wine, but this year we included more Northern Italian varieties such as Montepulciano and Sangiovese. This blend accentuates the varieties’ dark fruits, which works together with a pleasant tannin to cut through saucy, acid-driven dishes. The Barbera/Dolcetto coferment, Montepulciano and Sangiovese were all destemmed, separately fermented in stainless steel tank, and aged in neutral French oak barrique. All of the wine aged for 10 months then blended before bottling. Best served with meals, including anything with hearty tomatoes. It is also enjoyable on its own.
FUN FACT: As the label suggests, it’s a perfect pairing for pizza.
Each bottle is packed with our favorite Italian varieties from Fox Hill Vineyard, a CCOF certified organic vineyard we farm and have owned since 2023. Fox Hill is an Italian oasis in Mendocino, nestled on benchland just up from the Russian River.
Three of our food-friendly favorites, ready for you to share with your family and friends at dinner this holiday season. Pack includes one bottle each of Amore Bianco, Vermentino and Arneis
Each bottle is packed with our favorite Italian varieties from Fox Hill Vineyard, a CCOF certified organic vineyard we farm and have owned since 2023. Fox Hill is an Italian oasis in Mendocino, nestled on benchland just up from the Russian River.
Each bottle is packed with our favorite Italian varieties from Fox Hill Vineyard, a CCOF certified organic vineyard we farm and have owned since 2023. Fox Hill is an Italian oasis in Mendocino, nestled on benchland just up from the Russian River.
Each bottle is packed with our favorite Italian varieties from Fox Hill Vineyard, a CCOF certified organic vineyard we farm and have owned since 2023. Fox Hill is an Italian oasis in Mendocino, nestled on benchland just up from the Russian River.
Each bottle is packed with our favorite Italian varieties from Fox Hill Vineyard, a CCOF certified organic vineyard we farm and have owned since 2023. Fox Hill is an Italian oasis in Mendocino, nestled on benchland just up from the Russian River.
Taste the beauty of Fox Hill and its bounty of Northern and Southern Italian delights – from food-friendly blends and skin contact whites to California expressions of Sangiovese and Nero d'Avola.
Each bottle is packed with our favorite Italian varieties fromFox Hill Vineyard, a CCOF certified organic vineyard we farm and have owned since 2023. Fox Hill is nestled on benchland just up from the Russian River.
THE STORY: Old World influence meets California terroir. This wine is bursting with food-friendly acidity and fruit that’s ready for dinner tonight, with a playful intensity and tannin structure that can handle light aging. Typically, we tuck the Sangiovese into our Amore Rosso, but this year we let it shine on its own. This is a mix of Sangiovese Piccolo (smaller berries) and Grosso (much larger berries) that grow at Fox Hill Vineyard. They thrive in the hilly, rocky soil and climate that mirrors its Tuscan homeland. We harvested the Sangiovese early to preserve its acidity. We fermented it in stainless steel tank, pressed and then aged in neutral French oak barrique for nine months. Unfined and unfiltered.
Tasting Notes: Dark current, Cocoa powder, Mendocino Bay Leaf
This vintage already shows signs of sophistication with deep dark fruits, hints of cocoa and fine tannins. This grape - and wine - is foundational to Broc’s history. We’ve made it since 2013, when it intrigued us with what amazing fruit Fox Hill Vineyard in Mendocino can produce. Nero d’Avola vines are rare sights in California. We are lucky to have Fox Hill Vineyard, where Nero is thriving among the rocky redvine soil. The native Sicilian grape grows well in California soils and especially at Fox Hill where the days quickly grow hot on the exposed rocky hillsides. This vintage was fermented in stainless steel tank, pressed and aged in a combination of neutral French oak barrique and a small amount in a beeswax-lined cigar for 10 months. The beeswax-lined cigar softens the tannins to accentuate a silky palate and amplify the luscious fruit flavors. We recommend aging 10-15 years.
FUN FACT:The Badger on our label plays on the Scottish Gaelic translation of Broc, which is Badger.
Visit junetaylorjams.com for more information on all her wonderful products.
June Taylor Fox Hill Pear, Lemon Geranium, and Rosemary Butter
Regular price
$ 27.00
Save $ -27.00
June Taylor Pear, Lemon Geranium, and Rosemary Butter
Pears grow beautifully along the Talmadge bench in Mendocino County where Fox Hill Vineyard is located. We hand harvested Comice Pears in late September on the Fox Hill property. We drove the harvest back to Berkeley and as they ripened to perfection, we reached out to our good friend and local preserve queen June Taylor to conserve the fruit into a delicate Pear Butter. The result is a delectable pear conserve that features a soft set texture that beautifully highlights fresh fruit flavors, with very low sugar and no commercial pectin. The possibilities are endless with this preserve, making it a fantastic gift as well! All ingredients are organic. Hand made and a very small batch of only 40 jars produced.
Visit junetaylorjams.com for more information on all her wonderful products.
June Taylor Persimmon Butter
Regular price
$ 28.00
Save $ -28.00
This delightful Fuyu persimmon fruit butter is silky smooth, layered with warming spices and is the perfect addition to the breakfast, dinner or dessert table. The Persimmon Butter is from June Taylor Jams and is our newest collaboration. June made this special edition fruit butter using Fuyu persimmons grown from Broc's very own Fox Hill Vineyard.
Fruit butter is made from fruit that’s cooked, puréed and cooked a second time to concentrate the flavors. The result is silky and delicately textured that’s great for topping many desserts and snack spreads. We’re are delighted that she has collaborated with us to make this special preserve.