I’ve received a lot of requests from people asking about small producers making interesting wines out here on the west coast, so I thought I’d compile a list of some of the wines that have been inspiring me since my move out to Napa in February. All of these micro producers have an eye toward sustainability and working directly with the farmers they source from. They are keen to produce high-quality, distinctive wines at relatively fair prices given the costs of production out this way. Each has a unique story to tell, and many have incorporated lesser-known grapes into their portfolios, although not all. I’ve highlighted my personal favorite wine from each maker below, but definitely check out the other wines these winemakers are producing.
Some folks have been looking for new and interesting projects, others are looking to help small businesses that have been heavily impacted by the pandemic and subsequent devastation to the hospitality industry, through which a lot of small producers get highlighted – you won’t find many of these wines in big box retailers; some, you won’t find outside of their state of origin except via their mailing lists. All of these producers manage mailing lists from which you can order directly for shipment to most states
Please note, I don’t have anything to gain other than the joy of spreading the word about some amazing wines and supporting my friends’ businesses, and you certainly aren’t obligated to purchase anything. But if any of these strike your fancy, I encourage you to try it – especially leading into harvest, when people are buying fruit and paying for space and labor, they’ll be glad for the support.
Houndstooth, Rorick Heritage Vineyard Calaveras County Barbera 2016
My friend and colleague Kelli White makes Houndstooth with her husband Scott Brenner. While they started with a focus on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with fruit sourced between California and Oregon, it’s their Barbera that really got my attention. I love Italian wines, and while nothing beats drinking Piedmont wines in Piedmont, there is a long history of Italian varieties planted in California (Kelli would know; she literally wrote the book on Napa wines and is a wealth of knowledge about Cali’s past as well as present).
Barbera is a grape that is naturally high in acidity and low in tannins, and the fruit they source from the Rorick Heristage Vineyard delivers a wine that is fresh, juicy, and fruity, with just enough bite on the finish to pique your interest and make you return for another sip. So think of your perfect summer red wine, chill it down, and pop a cork as you sit by the pool, take a dip in a lake, or just swelter in your AC-free apartment (here’s looking at my NYC friends).
Little Frances, Semillon Sauvignon Blanc Luchsinger Vineyard 2019
I met Aussie Erin Pooley of little frances in a van at one of my favorite events, the Triangle Wine Experience in Raleigh, NC, when we had roll call for an event – she turned around in her seat when I identified myself and said, Sarah Bray, as in Batonnage Forum? I loved being famous so much that we became fast Insta friends – and jokes aside, instant friends when I actually moved out to Napa, even though she soon decamped for harvest in Oz. Her down-under heritage has inspired her to make aged Semillon in California – a Sydney native, she grew up very familiar with Hunter Valley Semillon, a style of wine unique in the world for its high acidity from early picking (we’re talking under 11% abv by law) which blossoms in bottle with a distinctive character.
In addition to that wine, which she releases with some relative bottle age, she produces an earlier drinking Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc blend; grown, harvested, pressed, and fermented together so that their complementary characteristics marry well. It’s one of the most refreshing wines I’ve had all summer, and I’m grateful for the case I bought. (And if you liked my summer red suggestion above, check out her Merlot. It’s not the wines that Sideways killed… it’s fresh and bright, with a lovely spine of acidity to complement its blue fruit character. Again, great with a little chill.)
Score another for Triangle Wine – I met the lovely Jen Reichardt there several years ago, and she has gone on to inspire me with her diligent work ethic paired with the cheeriest attitude I’ve ever encountered in an authentic human being. This girl just defines sunny, and funnily enough, it’s a moniker I’ve often used to describe her wines. She’s also the busiest person I know, making wines under her Raft label (her Sangiovese is excellent), helping run her family’s duck business Liberty Duck (and pivoting hard to online consumer sales in this pandemic), and somehow she’s found time to release a new collaboration with her husband called Et. Al.
This wine utilizes the under-rated Picpoul Blanc, a ripe, high acid variety from southern France little known outside of the appellation Picpoul de Pinet. If you love Muscadet, you’ll love this wine, with its salinity, lemony and acidity, as well as its touch of rich texture (think a touch of lemon curd) that balances the overall brightness of the wine, a nod to the warmer climate both in its home in the Languedoc and here in California where these grapes are sourced. I was delighted to taste a bottle from their first release and plan to order more the next time I’m shucking oysters.
T. Berkley Wines, Chenin Blanc Norgaard Farms 2018
I met Taylor a month into moving out here (and about two weeks before the pandemic), and he’s been my person ever since. When friends found out that our second date would entail me visiting his winery and tasting through his own label T. Berkley Wines, they looked aghast – It’s too soon! What if you don’t like them?! You’ll never be able to keep that to yourself. I figured I might as well rip off the band-aid, and fortunately, for fledging love, I thought the wines really good… and the Chenin Blanc absolutely delicious.
I like textured white wines generally, and I’m an acid-hound – and his Chenin delivers. It shows a beautiful balance of acidity and minerality, ripe stone fruit and lemon, with a pithy character that knits itself across the palate. The energy and tension reflect its maker, for Taylor doesn’t know how to sit still, a benefit since he manages the farming and winemaking of another estate in the Diamond Mountain district Teachworth in addition to his own brand. After racking and bottling his reds all weekend, I can say I really, really deserve my next glass.
Morgen Long Wines, Durant Vineyard Chardonnay 2018
I visited the Willamette Valley in Oregon for the first time in July, and amongst the fabulous wines I tasted, some of the best were from Seth Morgen Long, whom Taylor (see: above) met ten years ago working in New Zealand. Since then, he spent some time working with De Montille in Burgundy and brought home a rapier-like focus on highlighting Chardonnay from the Willamette Valley through his own label Morgen Long Wines, noting that Burgundy houses tended to favor either Chard or Pinot. He sources grapes from eight sites throughout the appellation, and the wines are simply gorgeous – complex, site-specific, thoughtful.
The Durant Vineyard is from the Dundee Hills AVA, known for its iron-rich soils and for being quite warm, and Seth notes that as a result this is always his first pick. He handles his juice firmly, not delicately, crushing the grapes, pressing hard, and using his lees to provide a texture that, to me, is reminiscent of the wines of Coche Dury, both opulent and edgy. The result is a wine of contrasts – green fruits and white pepper, a softer note on the palate then a razor’s edge of acidity on the finish. I bought a bottle after my visit, and it’s already gone.