A couple of years ago, during a lunch at the UC Davis Influencer Wine Bootcamp, I had the pleasure of meeting Rebekah Wineburg, a distinguished alumna of UC Davis’s Viticulture and Enology program. Our paths first crossed at Steve Matthiasson’s home ranch, where she shared her passion for winemaking. When I casually mentioned that I lived in Lodi, Rebekah smiled with interest and told me she sources old-vine Carignane for her Post & Vine project from the Mule Plane Vineyard—a vineyard I cycle by regularly.

As luck would have it, we met again earlier this year at the 2024 Wine Writer’s Symposium, during a panel discussion on regenerative farming at Napa Valley’s Quintessa Winery, where Rebekah serves as the winemaker. Reminded of my connection to the Mule Plane Vineyard, she kindly offered to send me a few sample wines from her Post & Vine project, a venture rooted in a deep respect for sustainably-farmed, old-vine vineyards. And so, with great anticipation, I set out to explore the heritage and flavors these unique wines have to offer.

About Post & Vine

Founded in 2012 by Rebekah Wineburg and Erica Schubert-Kincaid, Post & Vine is the result of a shared passion for wine that began in their youth during visits to Napa Valley. The two met while working together at Rudd Estate in 2005 and quickly bonded over a mutual love for historic vineyard sites in Northern California. Seven years later, that connection blossomed into the creation of Post & Vine.

Their wines are crafted from sustainably-farmed vineyard sites across Northern California, with a focus on old vine Carignane. Each wine is produced from hand-harvested fruit, fermented with indigenous yeasts under a minimal intervention ethos, and bottled unfined and unfiltered.

If you’re wondering about the bluebird on the front label, the back label reads…The bluebird is associated with spring, love, and joye, and symbolizes marriage, commemorates anniversaries, and serves as a messenger of good health and happiness“.

In My Glass

Disclosure: Wines were provided as a media samples. No other compensation was received. All opinions are mine.

You can find more details about the wines, along with my tasting notes, below:

Testa Vineyard

Testa Vineyard is located in Calpella, California in the Redwood Valley of Mendocino County. This beautiful ranch was founded in 1912 and is being farmed by the 4th and 5th generation of the Testa (Martinson) family. The site’s head-trained vines are planted on rolling hills in rocky, red, well-draining soils composed of sandy and pebbly loam. The Carignane, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, and Grenache for Post & Vine were planted in the 1950’s and are dry farmed, resulting in small clusters of concentrated, complex fruit. Testa Vineyard is certified Organic (CCOF certified) and Biodynamic (Demeter). (1)

• 2019 Post & Vine Old Vine Field Blend Testa Vineyard 
  Nearly opaque garnet color with blackberry, black cherry, strawberry leather, gravel, sweet spice and subtle rose petal aromas. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied and harmonious with refreshing, balanced aciidty and well integrated, velvety tannins. It shows blackberry, pomegranate, black cherry, rooibos tea, and baking spice flavors with a medium finish. Old Vine Field blend Carignane (41%), Zinfandel (38%), and Petite Sirah (21%) 14.% abv| SRP – $34 (89 pts.)

Mule Plane Vineyard

Located on the west side of the Lodi AVA in the Mokelumne River sub-AVA, Mule Plane Vineyard is approximately 1300 feet from the river. Being on the west side, the vineyard receives a better exposure to the Delta breeze during the spring and summer months allowing for excellent cooling in addition to the warm days. This makes for great fruit flavors in the grapes! This vineyard is part of the original land homesteaded by our family back in the early 1850s. We estimate the field was planted somewhere in the 1927-1930 era. Old Vine Carignan is making a huge comeback for both rosé and red wines so we are always working to improve our farming style. This field was certified Lodi Rules sustainable in 2017.(2) Mule Plane gets its name from the mule-drawn plane that John Shinn’s grandfather regularly saw his uncle using to level the field before planting.

• 2021 Post & Vine Carignane Mule Plane Vineyard 
  Medium ruby color Cranberry, raspberry, cedar, red cherry, cedar, white pepper and baking spice aromas. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied with bright acidity and velvety tannins. It shows cranberry, raspberry jam, dried black cherry and cinnamon spice flavors. Medium finish. 100% Old Vine Carignane. 13.5% abv| SRP – $28 (89 pts.)
• 2020 Post & Vine Carignane Mule Plane Vineyard 
  Pale crimson with red cherry jam, pomegranate, dried herb, and white pepper aromas with a hint of cured meat. On the palate, it’s light-bodied with juicy acidity and powdery tannins. It shows ripe, black and red cherry, pomegranate flavors accented with dried herbs and white pepper which offer some savory bits. Medium finish. For me, this wine has a surprising and very appealing Pinot Noir-esque character! 100% Old-Vine Carignane. 13.5% abv| SRP – $28 (90 pts.)

I’m drawn to old vine wines for their potential to offer greater concentration and complexity, qualities often unmatched by younger vines. But it’s not just about the wines themselves — it’s also about the winemakers who embrace the challenges of sourcing fruit from these lower-yielding, gnarled old vines. They are dedicated to telling the story of these historic vineyards and, above all, are committed to crafting the finest wines possible, preserving and sharing the rich heritage of old vines in every bottle.

Kudos to Post & Vine for producing these distinctive and delicious, site-expressive old-vine wines. They beautifully capture the essence of their historic vineyards, offering an authentic reflection of the land’s character and heritage.

Sources:

1. “About Testa Vineyard“, Post & Vine, 2024
2. Historic Vineyard Society; Registered Vineyards, 2024 – Mule Plane Vineyard

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