Rajat Parr remains one of the most influential forces in American wine. And—like many of the greats whose talented hands have touched or started a number of exciting projects—he's now settled into just one: fully dedicated, incredibly personal work rooted in a remote farm on the far edge of the SLO Coast.

We caught up with Rajat last month and after a couple hours with him, it's clear he's using this extreme terroir as a love letter to his travels and to the growers who have inspired him. You see it directly in his plantings: pink Chardonnay from Tissot, Savagnin from Ganevat, and Gringet from Belluard, among others—varieties chosen with the other greats in mind, and perfectly suited to this extreme coastal environment.

Though very familiar with his talent, we were still struck by the sheer deliciousness and complexity of his latest wines—details below.

It makes sense that Rajat would settle in California's most exciting AVA.

He has always found his center in food, and (by even greater extension), wine: childhood in Calcutta, which cemented his fascination and passion for food; a formative stretch at the center of San Francisco's restaurant scene, where he became the country's preeminent sommelier, winning three James Beard awards and publishing two books. Making wine led him to establish a series of projects that drifted from one emerging AVA to the next—dotting the entire west coast from Los Angeles (fascinating work which we discussed with him here), through Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, up to Oregon's Eola-Amity Hills.

Rajat out in the vineyard; photo via @phelanfarmcambria

He’s no longer part of the many ventures he once balanced (Sandhi, Evening Land, Domaine de la Côte) and it was just last year that we highlighted a tightened-up set (including Scythian Wine Co. and Brij Wines). Now, his work is fully dialed into Phelan Farm, where farming has become—even with such a staggering list of achievements here—his most significant evolution.

Based in Cambria on the Pacific-hewn San Luis Obispo Coast, Phelan Farm is on the physical and climatic edge of California, almost impossibly established in the 1850s. With a base of own-rooted vines, in 2020 he began to incorporate cuttings and clones from the iconic names mentioned above.

Phelan Farm throughout the seasons; photos via Polaner Selections and @phelanfarmcambria

In the cellar, Rajat leans on large-format élevage (Stockinger for the top wines). One delicious exception: a tiny amount of Chardonnay finished in a Manzanilla barrel. Coastal Chardonnay in Manzanilla cask is basically a double-down on salty, oceanic flavor—and like the rest of the lineup, it’s a delicious success.

Across the board, these are iridescent, texturally fascinating, and packed with visceral—and at times, surprising—aromatics; each bottle a peek into the storied path that led him here.

2024 Phelan Farm Mondeuse, San Luis Obispo County, USA $50
100% Mondeuse from a bracingly cold site, fully destemmed and aged in neutral 500L barrel for 16 months. Striking, saline wine at 10% ABV.

2024 Phelan Farm 'Autrement' (Pinot, Gamay & Mondeuse), San Luis Obispo County, USA $55
50/25/25 Pinot Noir, Gamay and Mondeuse, calling to the Savoie; fermented with whole clusters and aged in neutral oak, blended before bottling. No SO2.

2023 Phelan Farm Chardonnay, San Luis Obispo Coast, USA $65
100% Chardonnay, directly pressed and fermented in neutral oak, aged in 500L Stockinger puncheon. No SO2.

2024 Phelan Farm Chardonnay, San Luis Obispo Coast, USA $65
100% Chardonnay, directly pressed and fermented in neutral oak, aged in 500L Stockinger puncheon. No SO2.

2024 Phelan Farm Pink Chardonnay, San Luis Obispo Coast, USA $75
100% Chardonnay from a pink-berried mutation sourced from Tissot in the Jura, fermented with 10 days of skin contact and aged in neutral oak.

2024 Phelan Farm Chardonnay Manzanilla Cask, San Luis Obispo Coast , USA $78
100% Chardonnay, whole cluster pressed and fermented in a 100 year old Manzanilla Sherry cask, where it was also aged under flor for 16 months.

2024 Phelan Farm Pinot Noir, San Luis Obispo County, USA $75
100% Pinot Noir fermented with 100% whole clusters, aged in neutral French oak for 14 months.

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