Scar of the Sea Pinot Noir Vino de Los Ranchos Santa Maria Valley 2023

With so much emphasis in today’s wine culture on singular elements of winemaking such as alcohol, whole cluster fermentation, or oak regiment; Scar of the Sea strives to shift the pendulum to focus on what is in the glass. The most important part of our wines and cider is where they are grown. Location, climate, and soils matter. These wines and ciders are crafted with minimal manipulation. Balance is achieved through working directly with growers at carefully selected vineyard sites, and the wines ultimately show where they are grown. All the vineyards and orchards are influenced by the sea, with maritime soils, and climates, producing wines and ciders that are unique to the Central Coast of California. Co-owners Mikey Giugni and Michael Brughelli first met in college at Cal Poly before both pursued careers in winemaking. Mikey worked under Michael while he was the winemaker at Kenneth Volk before working a harvest in Tasmania where he fell in love with ciders. Upon his return they decided to start a project together focusing on both ciders and wines. The common thread to everything they produce is the belief that the best wines or ciders come from sites which have marine influenced climates and soils.

This wine is a blend of younger plantings from the Rancho Ontiveros Vineyard and old vine plantings from the Rancho Vinedo Vineyard, from 1973. Both of these vineyards are farmed using organic farming practices in Santa Maria Valley. The 2023 vintage is a compilation of 3 separate picks, fermented with native yeast and with partial whole cluster. The wine aged for 8 months in old french oak barrels and was bottled with minimal sulfur, without fining or filtration. 1,416 cases produced.