Subject to Change 'FKA' Open Hand Ranch

Merlot / Pinotage / Chardonnay

Mendocino, California

Subject To Change Wine Company is the collaboration between winemaker Alex Pomerantz and his wine-loving friends, Joe and Kim. The trio wanted to make wine in California that was like the wine they liked to drink at home that is guided by the ethos of natural wine with organic and biodynamic viticulture, a focus on the vines and the vineyard site itself, minimalist vinification with no sulfur or filtration.  In searching to make wines of character, Alex, Kim and Jim sought out the true characters and heroes of California winegrowing whose contributions may otherwise go unknown by most wine drinkers.

Open Hand Ranch is a 10-acre, family-run organic vineyard and farm planted in the 80s. Surrounded by oak and bay trees and a diverse landscape of native plants, fruit trees and other vegetation, biodiversity and regenerative farming practices are standard practice. The Chardonnay and Pinotage were co-fermented in the “reverse saignée” method: ½ of the fruit was added to a fermenter as uncrushed whole clusters and the other half was direct-pressed juice that was pressed into those clusters and pumped over daily. This was left on the skins for 9 days when it was then pressed and aged in 7,000L neutral oak foudre. The foot-trod Merlot was destemmed. After one week with no cap management, the wine was pressed to tank, then barreled down for 7 months in 225L neutral oak. The 2 components spent 6 months aging before racking and blending together in the bottling tank. As always, bottled unfined, unfiltered with no addition of SO2.