Wrath Wines - EX Wines
Monterey AVA
Harnessing the 'wrath' of nature in Monterey County, Wrath Wines produces award-winning, site-driven wines with attitude, passion, and an undeniable respect for terroir and the land.
Wrath Wines, one of Santa Lucia Highlands’ most celebrated boutique wineries, is proud to announce the recent launch of ‘EX Wines,’ an updated name for their popular ‘Ex Amina’ series. With a name meaning ‘out of’ in Latin, EX speaks to the team’s focus on expressing the personality and characteristics of their certified sustainable estate vineyard, the San Saba Vineyard in Santa Lucia Highlands. These EX wines are an excellent value and held to the same high quality standards as the esteemed Wrath wines produced from the same site.
Located on the River Road Wine Trail in Northern Monterey County, the daringly different Wrath Wines/EX Wines estate was established in 2007 by Dr. Michael Thomas and his mother Barbara Lemmon. After purchasing the old San Saba Vineyards property, they set out to dramatically change the estate’s wine and viticulture program to produce terroir-inspired wines with attitude and passion. Now thirteen years later, their wines are topping critics’ lists and Decanter even named the entity one of the Top 10 Central Coast Wineries.
Michael Thomas found his way into the winery business in a most interesting way. After earning a PhD in Classical Art and Archeology from the University of Texas, Michael spent time in Italy exploring the cultures of the Etruscans and Romans. Over the past twenty years, he has lived on and off in Rome running archaeology excavations in Pompeii and Florence - Michael and his team actually uncovered the first known wine importing/exporting business operating at the time of Vesuvius’ explosion! Michael has also taught at several universities, including the University of Texas at Austin, where he currently directs the Center for the Study of Ancient Italy (CSAI).
While in Italy, Michael spent his free time discovering markets and wine shops in the quaint hillside villages. He naturally came to appreciate the art of Italian wine, and combining this passion with his years of working with soil as an archaeologist, he decided that joining the wine business was an appropriate direction.
Michael saw many similarities between the rural and fertile Santa Lucia Highlands and the dramatic countryside of Italy, so when the opportunity arose to purchase the 72-acre San Saba estate, he jumped at the chance.
Michael worked closely with viticulturist Steve McIntyre to aggressively rejuvenate the old property by replanting large sections of the vineyard and implementing a SIP certified sustainable farming program. He also hired an all-star winemaking team, including Sabrine Rodems and consultant Byron Kosuge, to craft the estate wines.
To complement his high-end Wrath Wines, Michael started the EX Wines brand (initially named Ex Amina) to craft more value-driven offerings from his award winning San Saba Vineyard estate (Ex Anima was renamed ‘EX’ in 2016). These wines have proven to be very successful additions to the Wrath Wines family, offering a true barometer of the quality and soul of their estate fruit. We hope you enjoy the award-winning selections for this month’s EX Wines featured in our Gold Wine of the Month Club!
Map of the area
Dear Platinum Wine Club Members,
It is a great pleasure to have our 2013 Wrath San Saba Vineyard Syrah featured in Gold Medal Wine Club's offerings. We believe this wine represented the best qualities of our estate Vineyard. Deep and expansive with layers of earthy tones, dark fruit and good structure, this wine pairs especially well with roasted and grilled beef, lamb and game.
What makes this Syrah so special is the unique growing environment of our estate San Saba Vineyard. Located at the base of the Santa Lucia highlands, and protected from the winds of the Salinas Valley, our vineyard offers cool nights and warm days throughout the growing season, which is one of the longest in North America. The result is a wine that exemplifies the savory and structured traits of cool-climate Syrah, but still reflects tell-tale California ripeness and richness.
We are confident that you will appreciate the quality of this Syrah and the wine-friendly climate and terroir of our vineyard.
Cheers!
Michael L. Thomas, Ph.D
Co-Owner and Wine Director
Wrath Wines
Monterey, California
Sabrine Rodems - Winemaker
One of Monterey’s most innovative young winemakers, Sabrine Rodems is the talented winemaker behind the Wrath Wines/EX Wines brands. Sabrine began working at San Saba Vineyards in 2004 and was promoted to winemaker in 2006. When the property was purchased and renamed ‘Wrath Wines’ in 2007, she and Michael Thomas developed a more rigorous farming standard and new, experimental winemaking methods that have proven to be very successful.
Sabrine has also gained winemaking experience working for Ventana Winery, Kori Wines, and her own brand, Scratch Wines. She has a masters in viticulture and enology from UC Davis and completed an internship at Gloria Ferrer Winery. Sabrine is also behind the group Wines of Danger, which comprises growers who have launched their own small brands, winemakers who had worked for others but are now starting their own projects, and individuals who have started a second career in winemaking after leaving an unrelated field.
About the Vineyard
Wrath's estate San Saba Vineyard is sheltered in a nook just below the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA, roughly 25 miles southeast of the town of Monterey and overlooking the Salinas Valley. This cooler climate growing region is heavily influenced by the morning fog and afternoon winds from the nearby Pacific Ocean. The vineyard sees little rainfall and has one of the longest growing seasons in the world, promoting the production of ripe, concentrated wines with exceptional balance.
The San Saba Vineyard is planted to just under 68 acres of grapevines, including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, and Muscat. Dr. Michael Thomas also recently added the obscure Italian varietal Falanghina, which is one of the most ancient Italian varietals and is just one of the many ways Michael is exploring the Romans' wine legacy. The San Saba Vineyard is overseen by veteran wine grower Steve McIntyre.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)