Learn everything about Moraga Estate Los Angeles, California, producer, with wine tasting notes and wine with food pairing tips. Learn the best vintages, history of the property, information on their soils and winemaking techniques. You can also read about the Grapes used for California wine and learn about the extensive History of Napa Valley, California Wines
Moraga Estate History, Overview
Moraga Estate was created by Tom Jones in 1983 at his home in Bel Air, California, a wealthy suburb of Los Angeles. Due to its unique location in one of the highest priced neighborhoods in America, the cost per acre here made their vineyard one of the most expensive estates on a cost per acre of any vineyard in the world! The winery takes its name from the street the estate is located on.
Although it was not his original idea to turn his home into vineyard, when he first purchased the property. In fact it took a few decades to create the winery, having originally purchased the sprawling estate in 1959 from the famous, Academy Award winning, movie director, Victor Fleming.
Tom Jones earned his fortune in the aviation industry as the CEO of Northrop Grumman. Wine was always a passion and his dream was to live on a vineyard. He did just that, by creating Moraga Estate. The property is located in the middle of a residential neighborhood.
The winery planted grapes to be used on a non-commercial basis in 1980. Moraga produced its debut vintage in 1989. At the time of their initial release, their cellars were not completed, so they reduce demand their guest wines at Sanford in San Francisco.
The original winemaker was Tony Soter, of Etude Vineyards, who was later replaced by Scott Rich. In 2005, they finished work on a new wine cellar, wine making facilities and their underground caves for barrel aging. In 2013, after Tom Jones passed away and the property was sold to media mogul, Rupert Murdoch, for close to 29 million dollars. The sale came with the stipulation that the property remained a working winery. Scott Rich was retained as the winemaker.
Moraga Vineyards, Grapes, Terroir, Wines, Winemaking
The 14 acre Moraga estate has 6.9 acres cultivated with vines. The vineyard is planted to 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, 3.5% Petit Verdot and 3.5% Cabernet Franc for the red wines, which is typical of what you might find in the Left Bank of Bordeaux.
They also maintain close to 1 acre of Sauvignon Blanc. Their oldest vines date back to 1985. The soil here varies, as the vineyard rests on an earthquake fault. Most of the soil is quite gravelly on steep slopes, that reach up to 900 feet in elevation, at their peak.
To produce the red wine of Moraga, the wine is vinified in stainless steel vats. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel. The wine is then aged in 100% new, French oak barrels for between 18-22 months, before bottling.
The Sauvignon Blanc is vinified in a combination of stainless steel and French oak barrels. The wine is aged in stainless steel tanks. The production is small, with close to 700 cases of red wine and 300 cases of white wine produced here each year. There is also a small amount of late harvest, dessert wine produced here as well.
When to Drink Moraga Estate Wines, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time
Moraga can be enjoyed on the early side, often on release. Young vintages can be decanted for an average of 1 hour. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment. Moraga Estate wines are usually better with 1-2 years in the cellar. Of course that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage character. Moraga Estate wines offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 2-9 years of age after the vintage.
Serving Moraga with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips
Moraga wines are best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift. Moraga Cabernet Sauvignon is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised and grilled dishes. Moraga is also good with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms and pasta.
Moraga Sauvignon Blanc makes a great wine and food match with all types of seafood, dishes with cream sauce, chicken, veal and cheese.
Moraga Vineyards Wine Tasting Notes
10 Vintages 22,940 Views Sort by Vintage-Rating
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2017
Moraga Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc Bel-Air (Los Angeles County)
Crisp, fresh, juicy, yellow citrus with a touch of flowers, honey and vanilla that is ready to go. 2,236 Views Tasted Nov 14, 2019 |
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2015
Moraga Vineyards Estate (Los Angeles County)
Medium-bodied, forward, elegant light red fruits with a nice touch of oak, earth, thyme and chocolate. 2,266 Views Tasted Nov 14, 2019 |
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2013
Moraga Vineyards Estate (Los Angeles County)
Medium bodied, with ripe, dark red fruits, some secondary characteristics are already popping through. A few years in the cellar will add more to the wine, but it's not a wine I'd leave for old age. 1,997 Views Tasted Aug 15, 2017 |
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2009
Moraga Vineyards Bel-Air (Los Angeles County)
A complex nose of dark chocolate, earth, jam and fresh berries gets some attention. With a medium body, soft tannins, ripe fruits and a round finish, this should drink well on release, yet age for a decade or longer. 2,376 Views Tasted May 13, 2013 |
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2008
Moraga Vineyards Bel-Air (Los Angeles County)
Filled with ripe blackberries, this lush, round, ripe, forward wine ends with a spicy, black cherry finish. 1,682 Views Tasted Dec 17, 2012 |
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2007
Moraga Vineyards Estate (Los Angeles County)
Open, forward and already easy to drink, this soft textured, medium bodied, elegant wine is on the dark red berry, tobacco and herbal side of the style range. It's charming to drink now, but it's not a wine to age for the future. 2,457 Views Tasted Jan 23, 2013 |
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2005
Moraga Vineyards Bel-Air (Los Angeles County)
This ready to drink Cabernet Sauvignon dominated blend offers earthy scents with black cherry, tobacco and espresso in the nose. Round, open and soft textured, the finish is clean and pure. 2,163 Views Tasted Dec 17, 2012 |
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2004
Moraga Vineyards Bel-Air (Los Angeles County)
A little on the dry side of the style range, with notes of olives, blackberry and tobacco, the wine ends with a spicy, peppery, strawberry finish. 2,888 Views Tasted Dec 17, 2012 |
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2000
Moraga Vineyards Bel-Air (Los Angeles County)
Starting to fade, this requires drinking sooner than later to catch the last of the remaining fresh, strawberry, black cherry, smoke and tobacco filled charm. Knowing this was made in Los Angeles from an estate located close to the Getty museum, makes this an interesting wine to taste. 2,337 Views Tasted Dec 17, 2012 |
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1996
Moraga Vineyards Bel-Air (Los Angeles County)
Fully mature, with mostly secondary aromas of tobacco, spice and earth coupled with blackberries. Soft in texture, this medium bodied wine requires drinking over the next yew years. 2,538 Views Tasted May 13, 2013 |
