Annette Hoff is the wine maker (an accomplished blogger) at Cima Collina. She cut her winemaking teeth at Sterling Vineyards, working with Pinot noir, Cabernet sauvignon and Merlot. She moved on to Saintsbury in Carneros where she indulged her passion for Pinot noir. A short stint in New Zealand was an interlude following which she became winemaker at Estancia Winery. She sees a lot of similarities between new Zealand and Monterey: cool, marine-influenced climates prime for Pinot noir. In 2002, she began consulting to small producers. That led to her relationship with Richard Lumpkin who ultimately convinced her to come on full time and formally start the Cima Collina label. She prefers a customized, hands-on but minimalist approach. There is no prescribed formula for a number of punch downs or any other procedures. She prefers to do do what the wine needs - be it more or less input.
In previous years, Annette had made wine for Richard (from his own vines) on a private basis. When he convinced her to come on full time, the model they set down was to source fruit from select, small vineyards in Monterey County. In addition to the estate vineyard, Cima Collina, the fruit comes from Chula Vista Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands Vineyard, Cedar Lane Vineyard and Newell Vineyard in the newly formed San Antonio valley in the southern end of Monterey County.
Focusing on Chardonnay, Pinot noir and a Bordeaux-styled blend, the winery (located on the ranch) started with 2,000 cases annual production and is currently up to 3.600 cases annually. Look for good structure with a soft, feminine touch in the wines.
