At Far Mountain, Rodrigo Soto is making some exciting wines from mountain vineyards in Sonoma
Website: https://farmountainwine.com/
‘I was a below-average student,’ says Rodrigo Soto, recalling his formative years growing up in Chile. He spent his vacations in Pucón, down in the far South of Chile. There, he took shifts at a steakhouse owned by a folk singer Willy Bascuñán, and this is where he started connecting food and wine.
Wines had always been at his family’s table, too. And he’d become interested in agronomy as a path, so why not major in winemaking and viticulture?
At the time, Rodrigo was playing lots of rugby and hanging out with friends. ‘So my grades were just enough to pass.’ And to pass, he needed to complete a research thesis over a 6 month period, and the subject was assigned according to grades. High fliers got the best projects; students like Rodrigo got the leftover subjects. And the one he was given was right at the bottom of the pile: organic farming. ‘No one was interested in this at the time.’ [This was the late 1990s; Rodrigo is 1974 vintage.]
‘At that time in Chile the only one doing organics was a super-charismatic young winemaker at Viña Carmen, Alvaro Espinosa,’ says Rodrigo. He had lucked out! Alvaro later became the big advocate of organic and biodynamic farming in Chile, but at the time he had just 1 hectare under organics at the back of the Carmen winery. ‘Everyone was laughing at him.’
Rodrigo did vintage with Alvaro, and by the time harvest was over he’d decided that he wanted to follow organics, not the methods of viticulture that had been taught at college. Everything he’d been taught was war with nature; organics was working with nature.
Alvaro connected Rodrigo with Fetzer; the importers of Carmen into the USA were Brown Forman, who owned Fetzer. Alvaro called Paul Dolan, the president of Fetzer, and got Rodrigo an 8 month stage at Fetzer, with 4 months in the vineyard and 4 months in the cellar. Armed with a temporary US visa, Rodrigo moved to Mendocino for what was to prove a pivotal spell in his career.
One day, he was on the crushpad and met a real-life hippy. It turned out to be the famous biodynamic consultant Alan York. York turned out to be very friendly, and invited Rodrigo to his home for dinner, and then to stay for the weekend – this was an upgrade on the trailer that Rodrigo was being housed in. The weekend stays became regular occurrences.
Later, Rodrigo went to work at Wither Hills with Brent Marris, who was also incredibly generous. At the end of the internship Marris got Rodrigo a rental car and told him to go and explore New Zealand.
Californian then came calling again, in the shape of some time working at Ceago, Jimmy Fetzer’s property. This is where Alan York lived and where Alvaro Espinoza was working as a winemaking consultant.
In 2000, he headed back to Chile, after being hired by Matetic. Rodrigo introduced the concept of biodynamics to this San Antonio winery, and also hired Alan York as a consultant – York was shared in Chile between Matetic and Emiliana.
He stayed six years, before he felt the urge to do something different. It was now 2005 and he’d just got married. He was hired by Benziger as winemaker in Sonoma, and so moved there at the beginning of 2006. This lasted another six years, before Chile came calling again in the shape of Veramonte, which was then owned by the Huneeus family. Rodrigo’s wife (Mai Errazuriz) was already working there, and he was charged with converting the 900 hectares of vineyards to organic/biodynamic viticulture. This was in 2012.
In 2016 the Huneeus family sold Veramonte to Gonzalez Byass. Two years later, Augustin Huneeus called Rodrigo and invited him to move to Napa, to head up Quintessa. This was a big deal. But Rodrigo says that he spoke to Mai, and said that if we do this when we will start our own project there, too. So they did.
Far Mountain was born in 2019 (‘adding an extra shift to our life’). In 2024 Rodrigo quit his position at Quintessa, and committed fully to Far Mountain. ‘It is better to have a bit of fear than regret,’ he says.
Far Mountain is a special project. It is based on the Sonoma side of Mayacamas, and they buy grapes from old, dry-farmed, rugged mountain vineyards. Most of these were planted in the 1970s. ‘The common theme is that they used to be underestimated,’ he says. ‘People preferred new engineered vineyards.’
‘When I started making the wines I was blown away by what you can get from these vineyards,’ he says. ‘They give interesting flavours, not monotones. I really enjoy the sources and the wines are trying to reflect that.’
The wines are currently made at Saintsbury in Carneros. ‘When I arrive with my Cabernets they have finished with Pinot Noir,’ he says, so the open top fermenters are all available.
‘I’m learning to work with dry-farmed vines,’ says Rodrigo. ‘They tend to regulate well: you get the sunshine, but there’s a bit of freshness.’ Moon Mountain, the sub-AVA, is 17 000 acres with 1500 acres of vines. 54% is organically farmed, with rugged terrain and natural flora. Rodrigo manages 60 acres of vines here for this project.
THE WINES
Far Mountain Chardonnay Myrna 2022 Moon Mountain, Sonoma, California
100% dry farmed Chardonnay at 800 feet, almost at the peak of the mountain. This is cooler than the valley floor, but has warmer nights. Complex nose of toast, spice and meal with tight citrus but also some richer pear and peach notes. Compact, mineral and saline with real complexity. Finishes fresh, lively and spicy. 95/100
Far Mountain Chardonnay Bresa 2022 Moon Mountain, Sonoma, California
This is from the rockiest part of the vineyard. It has more focus, and perhaps less intensity, but real purity and elegance. Linear citrus and pear fruit with lovely purity, as well as real concentration of flavour and sole salinity and minerality on the finish. 95/100
Far Mountain Fission Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 Moon Mountain, Sonoma, California
35% new oak, then aged in foudre after barrel. This comes from Alta Vista in the Moon Mountain sub AVA. St George rootstock, 1972 plantings on terraces. Lovely brightness. Pure and concentrated with crushed rock, iodine and graphite on the palate, as well as sweet, well-defined blackcurrant fruit. There’s generosity here but also freshness, with hints of olive and minerals. 95/100
Far Mountain Montecillo Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 Moon Mountain, Sonoma, California
This is one of the historical properties in the region, with pure red basalt soils. Very red clay with high rock content. This sees a second year in foudre after barrel ageing. Focused and direct with pure blackcurrant fruit showing olive savouriness and also real focus. Pure, linear, with a saline twist, showing amazing freshness and presence. Well integrated tannins. Remarkable. 96/100
