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Robert Talbott Vineyards was founded in 1982 when son Robb and his wife Cynthia began planting the 24-acre Diamond T Estate vineyard at their home in Carmel Valley, California. The Chardonnay at Diamond T was planted in almost soilless conditions of shale and granite with vines close-spaced in the Burgundian tradition. The Talbotts knew the vines would have to struggle mightily to survive at Diamond T and believed that struggling would result in Chardonnay of great intensity. History has proven them correct. The first vintage of Talbott Chardonnay was produced at the new winery in 1983. The quality was remarkable. 1984 brought a different story. From the beginning the Talbott family had developed strict standards of excellence for their wines. The 1984 vintage fell short of those standards and, consequently, was never to be released. By 1989 the Talbotts had produced several very successful vintages and earned considerable praise from the wine community. The wines had gained a devoted following and vintages would consistently sell out long before the next release. Although still very small, the brand had outgrown the original winery. A new winemaking facility was needed, and the Talbotts also wished to have greater control over grape quality by owning more of their own vineyards. A 125-acre ranch in the Santa Lucia Highlands, owned by the same family for over a century, was purchased because of its tremendous potential for vineyard development. A winery was built on the site in the architectural style of an old barn to fit in harmoniously with the agricultural area in which it is located. The winery, completed in 1990, encompasses approximately 28,000 square feet and was designed to facilitate the traditional, hands-on wine making techniques that embody the Talbott winemaking style. Robb Talbott increased the family's vineyard holdings in 1994 with the purchase of the renowned Sleepy Hollow Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands. Fruit from this location had produced some of Talbott's finest wines for many years. With the Sleepy Hollow purchase the Talbott family became one of Monterey County's leading grape growers and the county's largest family grower. From the point of the Sleepy Hollow purchase onward, the fruit for all wines produced by Robert Talbott has come exclusively from the Talbott estate vineyards. Talbott remains a family winery with both Robb and Cynthia Talbott directly involved with winery management and operations. Many of the wines have been named after family members. Talbott's Cuvee Cynthia is one example. Another is Case Pinot Noir, named after Robb and Cynthia's oldest daughter, Sarah Case. Logan Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are named after Robb and Cynthia's son, Robert Logan, and the most recent addition to the Talbott line is the Kali Hart Vineyard Chardonnay, named after Robb and Cynthia's youngest daughter, Kali Hart. Winery production has remained relatively small; total production in recent vintages nears 24,000 cases per year divided over all seven labels. LOCATION TELEPHONE WEBSITE
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