{"title":"Central Coast","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ng-star-inserted\"\u003eCalifornia's Central Coast is a sprawling and diverse wine region stretching from south of San Francisco all the way to Santa Barbara. This vast area encompasses a wide range of climates and terroirs, resulting in a remarkable diversity of wine styles. Monterey County, known for its cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, benefits from the influence of the Monterey Bay. The Santa Cruz Mountains, with their high elevation and proximity to the Pacific, produce elegant, cool-climate wines. Paso Robles, known for its warm days and cool nights, is renowned for its bold Zinfandel and Rhône-style blends. Santa Barbara, despite its southerly latitude, boasts surprisingly cool climates due to the unique east-west orientation of its valleys, which funnel cool ocean breezes inland, creating ideal conditions for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The Central Coast's varied geography and range of climates contribute to its standing as a highly dynamic winemaking area.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c!----\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"madson-toyon-vineyard-pinot-noir-2021","title":"Madson Toyon Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021","description":"","brand":"Anvil","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45707457757407,"sku":"","price":59.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P5150263.jpg?v=1715824617"},{"product_id":"florezs-wines-ember-eyes-zinfandel-2023","title":"Florez Wines \"Ember Eyes\" Zinfandel 2023","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 2023 \"Ember Eyes\" Zinfandel is rooted in the heart of the Santa Cruz Mountains, where old-vine Zinfandel thrives in rugged, well-drained soils. Farmed organically and with a focus on dry-farming practices, the vineyard captures the essence of Northern California’s warm days and cool nights, allowing the fruit to ripen fully while retaining freshness. This balance of concentration and vibrancy is the hallmark of the region and a cornerstone of Florez Wines’ commitment to sustainable viticulture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Ember Eyes” is a Zinfandel reimagined, offering a fresh, refined take on the varietal. Fermented with native yeasts and aged in neutral French oak, this wine eschews the heavy, jammy stereotype in favor of energy and elegance. Aromas of blackberry compote, wild strawberry, and a hint of black tea intertwine with flavors of ripe plum, cracked pepper, and dried herbs. Its silky tannins and lifted acidity keep the palate lively, while a touch of earthiness grounds the wine in its natural origins. Bottled unfined and unfiltered with only minimal sulfur, it’s a pure and unadulterated expression of the grape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJames Jelks, founder and winemaker of Florez Wines, brings a decade of international winemaking experience back to his Santa Cruz roots. With a philosophy rooted in old-world traditions and minimal-intervention practices, James seeks to craft wines that are vibrant, honest, and connected to their terroir. The labels for Florez Wines, created by tattoo artist Drew Nelson, reflect the artistry and individuality behind every bottle—“Ember Eyes” included.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Yes Wines","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46461011624159,"sku":null,"price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P1011298.jpg?v=1731647941"},{"product_id":"big-basin-vineyards-dune-mountain-pinot-noir-2021","title":"Big Basin Vineyards Dune \u0026 Mountain Pinot Noir 2021","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBig Basin Vineyards 2021 Dune \u0026amp; Mountain Pinot Noir is a blend sourced from three distinct vineyards within the Santa Cruz and Gabilan Mountains. Coastview Vineyard, perched at a remarkable 2400 feet elevation atop the Gabilan Mountains, boasts decomposed granite soils that contribute to the wine's elegance. The Olson Vineyard, situated just a few miles from Monterey Bay, benefits from the moderating influence of the coastal fog, resulting in a slower ripening period and grapes with concentrated flavors.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis Dune \u0026amp; Mountain Pinot Noir was fermented 100% whole cluster using only native yeast. It was aged 11 months in oak barrels and bottled without fining or filtration. The wine displays a vibrant ruby hue in the glass. On the nose, it reveals alluring aromas of crushed rocks, pomegranate, hints of strawberries, and persimmon. The palate is medium-bodied with a graceful structure. Flavors of ripe cherry and wild raspberry intertwine with earthy notes and subtle hints of wild rose petals, creating a complex and nuanced profile. This wine, produced in limited quantities (305 cases), offers exceptional value and demonstrates the intensity and character that define Big Basin Vineyards.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBig Basin Vineyards, nestled in the Santa Cruz Mountains, is a family-owned winery with a rich history. Established over 100 years ago by French immigrants, the winery continues to uphold a legacy of excellence. Under the guidance of founder Bradley Brown, Big Basin Vineyards is committed to organic farming practices, meticulous vineyard management, and minimal intervention winemaking. 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Siletto Family Vineyards farms inland near Hollister on sandy loam, well east of the Monterey Bay but still close enough that marine air pushes through the Pajaro gap in the afternoons. It is warm during the day and cold at night, and the sandy soils keep vigor low. Grenache planted in that combination of conditions ripens without bloating: color stays pale, alcohol stays moderate, and the aromatics stay in the red-fruit register rather than sliding into jam.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e100% Grenache Noir. Two Shepherds treats Grenache the way northern Rhone producers treat Syrah rather than the way Chateauneuf treats Grenache: whole clusters, native yeast, gentle extraction, neutral wood, and no attempt to build weight. The result is borderline rosato in color and yet fully structured, which is the trick with Grenache handled this way. Ripe strawberry, raspberry, white pepper, dried herbs, and a faint vanilla-bean note, with bright acidity and fine tannin holding it together through a dry finish. Around 12.5% alcohol. 2023 was a long, cool, late-ripening year across California following a very wet winter, with harvest running weeks behind normal and fruit coming in at lower sugars and higher acids than the preceding vintages.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwo Shepherds began in 2010 when William Allen turned a home-winemaking habit into a commercial micro-winery built around Rhone varieties, at a point when California Grenache was mostly being made into something heavy. Karen Daenen came on as partner in 2015. The operation is small and hands-on: they farm their own organic Grenache and Grenache Gris block in Windsor themselves, and lease specific rows from family-owned growers elsewhere, writing the farming specs for those blocks and picking them on their own schedule. Grenache in all three colors is the core of what they do, and the Siletto bottling is among the most site-driven of them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePale and peppery calls for lighter, herb-driven cooking. Roast chicken with tarragon, grilled lamb kebabs with mint yogurt, a mushroom and leek pasta, or a plate of manchego and marcona almonds. The wine has enough acid to handle olive oil and enough structure to stand up to grilled meat without ever getting heavy about it. Serve it at cellar temperature, 55 to 60 degrees, which is where the white pepper and strawberry both show clearly.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"LeDuc Wine Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51195288551647,"sku":null,"price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P8150119_e3eb8bb1-e43f-40a3-804d-075a2d79c63a.jpg?v=1786842645"},{"product_id":"orixe-sotelo-sacro-reserva-tempranillo-2021","title":"Orixe Sotelo Sacro Reserva Tempranillo 2021","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePaso Robles gets filed under hot California red country, which misreads its western half. The AVA covers more than 614,000 acres, the largest in California, subdivided into eleven districts in 2014. The westside sits on an uplifted ancient seabed: chalky limestone and calcareous shale off the Monterey Formation, alkaline and hard-draining. Vineyards west of Highway 101 run from roughly 850 to 2,000 feet, with rainfall from ten inches a year on the eastern flats to forty in the hills. Every afternoon marine air pushes through the Templeton Gap off the Pacific, and the gap between afternoon high and overnight low reaches 40 to 50 degrees. Days build ripeness, nights hold acid, limestone supplies the spine. Spanish varieties have found real footing here for exactly that reason.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTempranillo from Paso Robles. Reserva on this label deserves a second look. In Rioja, Reserva is a legal category: 36 months of aging minimum, at least 12 in oak barrel and six in bottle, audited by the Consejo Regulador. In California the word is regulated by nobody. An American producer printing it is making a claim about their own hierarchy rather than clearing a bar, and here it marks the top red. Bottles are numbered by hand, this one 0602, so the lot is small. The vintage backs the ambition. 2021 followed the drought and fire year of 2020, and the water stress carried through: early bud break, a long ripening cycle, no major heat spikes, cluster weights 20 to 30 percent below normal. Small berries, high skin-to-juice ratio, concentration without heavy extraction. Tempranillo off limestone with that much night cooling runs toward red cherry, dried fig, tobacco and iron rather than jam, with chalky tannin.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe crest reads “singular wines from Alta California,” which is history rather than flourish. Alta California was a province of New Spain, formally separated from Baja California in 1804, and wine culture arrived with Spanish missionaries planting Listán Prieto, later called the Mission grape, for sacramental wine. Phylloxera, the temperance movement and Prohibition severed that line, and when the industry restarted in the 1960s it restarted on French cultivars. Gustavo Sotelo’s position is that the Spanish chapter was interrupted, not finished. He worked the 2014 harvest at Bodegas Mauro in Ribera del Duero and came back struck by how closely Spain’s coastline and topography echo California’s. Orixe Sotelo, founded 2019, sells almost entirely through its own club and mailing list.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLamb shoulder cooked slowly with garlic and smoked pimentón until it shreds, piled on grilled bread rubbed with tomato, where the fat softens chalky tannin and the paprika meets the wine’s savory register. A ribeye over coals, salted hard and rested, the acidity cutting char and fat. Aged Manchego with quince paste and a few slices of jamón, salt pulling the fruit forward. Or duck breast with a cherry pan sauce. 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Shake Ridge Ranch is in Amador County, in the Sierra Foothills, planted between roughly 1,600 and 2,400 feet on granite bedrock shot through with quartz and ancient red volcanic soil. Stagecoach Vineyard sits on Atlas Peak in Napa, from about 1,100 to 1,750 feet, on boulder-strewn red volcanic clay loam. Both are hillside sites well above the fog line, both drain hard, and both drop cold at night. Tinta Alta means high red, and the name is the thesis.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTempranillo from those two mountain sites, with a small addition of Cabernet Sauvignon in 2020 as a nod to an old Spanish blending habit. It runs 14 percent alcohol and drinks at medium weight rather than the heavy extraction Tempranillo often gets in warm climates. Plum, sour cherry, black raspberry and fruit leather, a distinctly floral top note that the 2019 did not have, then an earthy, dusty undertow and a finish that stays fine-grained. Ripe and a little rustic at the same time, in the way Tempranillo is in Spain and rarely is here. Worth noting the year: 2020 was California's hardest recent vintage, with heat spikes and the August and September fires, and a great deal of North Coast fruit never made it into bottle at all.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGustavo and Jackie Sotelo founded Orixe Sotelo in Sonoma in 2019. Orixe is Galician, from the Latin origo, meaning beginning or source; Sotelo is a place name from the coastal mountains of Galicia. The project has a single premise: Spanish grape varieties grown in California, treated as a serious category rather than a novelty. Gustavo studied at Boston University, went through the UC Davis viticulture and enology program, and holds additional certifications from Bordeaux Agro Sciences and the Institut de la Vigne et du Vin in Burgundy. He apprenticed in Napa, Sonoma and Spain before becoming head winemaker at SCRIBE. Jackie handles the administrative side. Between them they are chasing a specific idea, that California is overdue for a renaissance in Spanish cultivars.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCarne asada tacos with charred onion and salsa verde, where the wine's acidity and dusty tannin handle both the fat and the lime. Grilled lamb steaks with smoked paprika. A pot of white beans with chorizo and greens, meeting the earthy side head on. Or a burger cooked over actual coals. This is the bottle to keep a case of, the one you reach for without thinking on a Wednesday and never regret.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Few \u0026 Far Wine Co","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51247711486175,"sku":null,"price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P8220196.jpg?v=1787526007"},{"product_id":"lady-of-the-sunshine-bassi-vineyard-dolcetto-2025","title":"Lady of the Sunshine Bassi Vineyard Dolcetto 2025","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBassi is a ranch before it is a vineyard: 29 acres of vines inside a 112-acre coastal ranch above Avila Beach. The Dolcetto is not part of the main planting. It sits on a small backyard slope above the eastern side of the property, 15 rows, hand-farmed because nothing larger fits. The soil is the sandstone found across the ranch, grading from outcropping to sand deposits. What sets Bassi apart from its neighbors is the absence of a cooling funnel. No wind gap channels cold air through the property, so it runs warmer than the Giugnis' other coastal sites even sitting 1.2 miles from the water. Dolcetto ripens early, which is exactly why a Piedmontese grape has a chance on ground this close to the Pacific.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDolcetto from the California coast is close to a one-off, and this one is built along Alba lines. Fruit was picked in late September, destemmed completely, and fermented with native yeast in 228-liter upright barrels, punched down by hand daily. It was pressed in a wooden basket press at dryness, then aged ten months in neutral 80-gallon barrels and racked straight to bottle, no fining or filtration, minimal sulfur. Finished alcohol is 12.5 percent. Full destemming and gentle punch-downs keep the tannin powdery instead of grippy. Sour cherry, cranberry, dried violet and crushed stone, with the bitter-almond snap on the finish that is the Dolcetto signature. The 2025 Central Coast season was cool and dry, with below-average rainfall and very little heat, so ripeness arrived at low sugars with acidity intact.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGina and Mikey Giugni bought Bassi in July 2024 from Mike and Cheri Sinor, who had farmed it since 2013, in a direct deal with no sales agents. They had bought fruit off the ranch since 2019 and wanted the security of farming it themselves. The purchase closed out the final year of biodynamic conversion, and Demeter certification came through that same month across all 42 acres they farm, four sites in all. The approach is regenerative as much as biodynamic: they make their own compost and compost teas, plant diverse cover crops and pollinator meadows, graze animals through the rows in spring, and do not till. Mikey runs Scar of the Sea alongside this. For reds the cellar uses a two-ton wooden basket press and old French oak, with one racking before bottling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDolcetto is a weeknight red in Piedmont, poured cool alongside whatever is on the stove, and that is how to use this one. Brown hot Italian sausage hard with peppers and onions and let the sour-cherry fruit cut the fat. Agnolotti, or any filled pasta finished in butter and sage, works because the tannin stays fine-grained. Grill a mushroom pizza with real char on the crust and the stony side of the wine finds the fungus. On a cold night, braise chicken thighs with tomato, olives and rosemary. At 12.5 percent, after 20 minutes in the fridge, this is a bottle you can open on a Wednesday and actually finish.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Craft","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67575130980575,"sku":null,"price":45.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P9270420.jpg?v=1790548337"},{"product_id":"lady-of-the-sunshine-bassi-vineyard-albarino-2025","title":"Lady of the Sunshine Bassi Vineyard Albariño 2025","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe San Luis Obispo Coast AVA has a 309-day growing season, and fog covers the vines on 35 to 55 percent of nights between budbreak and harvest. Annual rainfall averages 16.8 inches. Those numbers describe Galicia far better than they describe Napa, which is a large part of why Albarino makes sense here at all. Bassi Vineyard sits 1.2 miles from Avila Beach, planted in 2001 on sandstone that runs from exposed rock outcropping to loose sand deposits. The Albarino occupies terraced ground on the vineyard's western slope, the side that takes the marine air first, and nothing between those rows and the water slows it down. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir account for 78 percent of everything planted in this AVA, so this is a genuine outlier.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlbarino from the SLO Coast, and a serious one. Fruit is hand-harvested and whole-bunch pressed with no skin contact, then fermented in neutral oak barrels and left ten months on its lees. Malolactic goes through. There is no fining, no filtration, and a small sulfur addition at bottling. Those ten months on lees are what give the wine its weight: the texture is broad and faintly waxy rather than the brisk stainless-steel version of the grape most American drinkers have met. White peach, green almond, grapefruit pith and salt spray, finishing long, saline and a little bitter in the way good Albarino does. The 2025 Central Coast season ran cool and unhurried, with below-average rainfall and almost no triple-digit heat, so sugars stayed low and natural acidity stayed high.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGina Giugni grew up on Narrow Gate Vineyards, the 90-acre biodynamic property her parents established in California's Sierra Foothills in 2004, so farming this way was never a conversion for her. She studied winemaking at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, worked a 2015 harvest in Beaujolais, split 2016 between the South Island of New Zealand and the Willamette Valley, and spent most of 2017 at a small winery on Howell Mountain. She started Lady of the Sunshine that same year, working leased blocks until Bassi became hers. The cellar is deliberately plain: a 1988 four-ton Euro press for the whites, old French oak for aging, native yeast and bacteria running the fermentations, nothing added to adjust chemistry. She is after wines that read linear and concentrated rather than plush.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOpen this next to anything that comes out of a shell. Steam clams with white wine, garlic and a fistful of parsley, and the wine's salinity meets the broth head-on. Grill a whole branzino with lemon and olive oil, skin crisped, and the lees-built texture stands up to the oil. Albarino's classic Galician partner is octopus, so pulpo a la gallega with paprika and flaky salt is the obvious move. Easier on a Tuesday: roast a chicken, squeeze a lemon over it, pour this, and let the acidity reset things between bites of crisp skin. It is the bottle that makes a weeknight dinner feel like it happened on the coast.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Craft","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67575131013343,"sku":null,"price":43.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P9270419.jpg?v=1790548337"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/collections\/drcmontrachet_a_cool_climate_vineyard_in_santa_rita_hills_cal_c6e2d750-ad9f-4ad5-bd3c-ca5c98f5bf2a_1.png?v=1740156871","url":"https:\/\/danverwinemerchant.com\/collections\/central-coast.oembed","provider":"Denver Wine Merchant","version":"1.0","type":"link"}