Our founders are connected through Marine Corps Aviation. Jeff’s grandfather was a Marine in WWII who served with VMF-311, a Marine F4-U Corsair squadron stationed in the South Pacific. Matt is a third generation Naval Aviator who served as a Marine AV-8B Harrier attack pilot with VMA-542 and VMA-231 during Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom. Because of this connection to Marine Aviation, the company was branded Sky Devil Wines.
Since WWI, Marines have proudly referred to themselves as Devil Dogs. In time, some Marine pilots began using the term Sky Devil to describe a Devil Dog with wings. The F4-U Corsair, a legendary gull winged fighter plane of WWII, is an iconic and enduring symbol of Sky Devils around the world and is the symbol of our winery.
We are building the Sky Devil brand to exhibit our namesake’s esprit de corps and to embody the heroic ideals of a high performing team focused on mission accomplishment. Relentless perseverance is foundational to the Sky Devil, and Sky Devil Wines pursues its passion and mission in the same way. Every day.
Our family and close friends made us who we are. They taught us everything we know, encouraged us to create something meaningful, and have been a driving force in our lives and our brand.
At Sky Devil, we believe in high performing teams and the intrinsic value of work – in doing what we enjoy, sweating the details, and letting the results speak for themselves. We believe in staying up late, waking up early, and enjoying the journey. We believe in trusting each other and taking time to enjoy fruit of one’s labor. We believe hard problems can be solved by family and friends working together – sitting around a table, sharing a meal...sharing wine. Talking...listening. We believe the easy way is rarely the right way.
Perhaps most importantly, we believe in celebrating life’s great moments...the big and little victories that make us each who we are. And we believe in forwarding the dream to others.
Sky Devil Formation is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
The 2018 Sky Devil Cabernet Sauvignon is an unapologetically bold, structured wine. There’s finesse to the nose that offers cherry, coffee bean, and cracked black pepper; the mid-body
is textured with full mouthfeel and the right amount of oak that results in flavors of toast and blackberry; the finish is firm with lengthy, evolving tannins. The barrel program for the 2018 vintage was 26 months in 100% new French oak. We bottled 392 cases unfined and unfiltered.
Great with a New York strip steak. Good to drink now; cellared properly, ages well for 20 – 25 years.
Review:
This Cabernet includes small amounts of Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot in the blend. Aged 21 months in a majority of new oak, it tastes of toast and deliciously ripe red fruit, with substantial concentration, structure and intensity.
-Wine Enthusiast 93 Points
Archery Summit Estate Pinot Noir Dundee Hills is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
A medley of graphite, spice and crushed red strawberries waft from the glass. Further digging reveals even more to the nose of this Pinot Noir, in the flickering form of oak spice and caramelized fruits. On the palate, there’s opulent fruit and signature Dundee Hills spices like allspice, cardamom and sandalwood. The palate is loaded, with fresh strawberry jam and an underlying earthiness taking the lead. Structurally, there are soft oak tannins that give way to an exquisitely long and balanced finish.
Kershaw Smugglers Boot Pinot Noir is made from 100% Pinot Noir made from French clones PN667, PN115 and PN113.
The name derives from the time of trade embargoes in South Africa when growers & winemakers smuggled grapevine material into the country by hiding the cuttings in Wellington boots. The Smuggler’s Boot range celebrates that ingenuity.
Attractive strawberry, savory and star anise spice linger on the nose. Juicy and sumptuous on the mid palate with breadth of flavor offset by a nimbleness of fresh acidity, friable tannins and sinuous mouthfeel, this Pinot unwraps to earthy, fennel, chocolate and a hint of incense to a long supple finish.
Handpicked grapes were first bunch sorted on a conveyor before the stems were removed and the destemmed berries sorted to remove jacks and substandard berries. After a 3-day maceration in 500kg open-topped fermenters, the uncrushed grapes began a spontaneous fermentation. A gentle pigeage program was charted and the grapes remained on skins for 10-16 days.
The free-run wine was racked to a combination of 50% French oak barrels (10% new) and 50% breathable plastic eggs with the remaining pomace basket-pressed. Malolactic then proceeded followed by a light sulphuring after which the wine was racked off Malolactic lees and returned to cleaned barrels for an 11-month maturation. No finings, simply racked and light filtration prior to bottling.
Richard Kershaw’s personal suggestions for dishes include charcuterie, its salt and fat being complemented by the delicate spicy notes and fruit; Pork loin with honey, pepper, and lemon-zest glaze; Carpaccio; duck cassoulet; ovenroasted monkfish with garlic mashed potatoes; seared tuna; wild mushroom risotto; a simple beet salad with some hazelnuts and ricotta cheese; a slice of Brie or Gorgonzola dolce.