![]() Mercury was mined in the coastal ranges of California in places like New Almaden (Santa Clara County), New Idria (San Benito County) and many mines in Lake, Napa and Sonoma Counties. Mercury has a natural attraction to gold and will amalgamate the small flecks into larger amalgams which are then heated to remove the mercury. To collect the gold flecks in the gravels and wash water the miners added mercury or quicksilver. Between 18 over 11 million ounces of gold were produced using hydraulic mining. By 1865 5,000 miles of ditches and flumes had been constructed to move water to the hydraulic mines. Water had to be developed and transported through ditches or canals to the mining site. Many hundreds of cubic yards of sediments could be processed in a few hours. Termed hydraulic mining, large monitors or hoses were aimed at hillsides and washed away the sediment so it could be sorted and the gold in the ancient riverbeds could be mined. Instead of indivduals or small groups of miners, investment companies using expensive equipment started mining using large volumes of water. In 1853 gold mining changed significantly. Nearly every alluvial creek channel was dewatered, sorted for gold and left today many waterways show the remnants of this mining. Between 1848-1853 about 10-12 million ounces of gold were produced. Several cubic yards of river gravels could be sorted per day this way. When miners first started looking for gold they used simple techniques for sorting river gravels with a metal pan or a rocker or long tom. The foothills have recovered significantly from the ravages of the gold rush through both natural restorative processes and the work of farmers and ranchers. More acreage waits to be developed, along with more varieties to be mastered.The Sierra Foothills have a beautiful pastoral landscape of oak woodlands, grazing lands, orchards and vineyards, river canyons and creeks. In 2001 the first bordeaux blend was produced "Apollo's Lyre" which earned an international Double Gold Medal, followed by Gold Medal winning Barbera and Cab Franc. In 1995 a world-class Port joined the Estate Bottled lineup, with Zinfandel added to production in 1997 and Sangiovese in 1999. The original plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay produce about 5,000 cases of wine annually. ![]() the tasting room provides a serene and comfrotable place to sample the wines. With a view of Blakely Lake, just off hwy 50 off the Carson Road exit. In April of 2005 we completed construction of our Early California style tasting room and moved into a beautiful wooded location in Camino, CA. ![]() ![]() 50 is greatly appreciated by our fans whose collector T-shirts ("I survived the trip to Jodar") were well earned prior to the move. In March 1997 the tasting room was relocated from the remoteness of the vineyard site across the river to the neighboring "Apple Hill" area of Camino, California. once the tank valves were secured with steel locking devices!). The race to erect the winery in time for the first crush in 1990 was won by the grapes, as Mother Nature insisted upon the earliest harvest ever, and the first vintage of Jodar Cabernet Sauvignon was created in a winery without a ceiling or walls (ATF endorsed this unusual circumstance with good humor.
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