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Whitcraft’s Santa Barbara
10/05/24
The return of Drake Whitcraft’s wines to Fulton St is a charming highlight among a crop of interesting arrivals from Santa Barbara and the greater Central Coast.
Drake’s work represents a lifetime in wine: when he took over the family winery in 2007, it was a revival of what his parents Chris and Kathleen Whitcraft had established back in 1985. He grew up working alongside Chris, and Burt Williams (yes, of Williams-Selyem); spent two years in Australia with biodynamic superstar Sergio Carlei.
But despite the background here, the wines aren’t flashy or cynical; they’re made with deference to nature and old-school techniques.
Biodynamic farming, a gentle hand (hand harvested, pressed by foot, no enzymes or color added, filled and corked by hand). And, the sites are a list of Santa Barbara’s top hits – Stolpman Vineyard, Sanford & Benedict, La Rinconada, Radian...
2022 Whitcraft Winery Ballard Canyon, Stolpman Vineyard Grenache
From Stolpman Vineyard, in Ballard Canyon’s limestone hills just 15 miles from the coast. Like Whitcraft, the vineyard was founded in the latter half of the ‘80s and is the work of an iconic California family. Picked for freshness, with some carbonic action, it’s a bright and beautiful Grenache.
2022 Whitcraft Winery Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir
A blend of top fruit from all of their sites in Santa Rita Hills AVA: Radian, La Rinconada, Sanford & Benedict, Donnachadh, Fiddlestix and Pence vineyards. With Radian the furthest west, and Pence the furthest east, it’s a really special representation of the AVA as a whole.
2022 Whitcraft Winery Santa Rita Hills, La Rinconada Pinot Noir
From aromatic La Rinconada in the middle of Santa Rita Hills AVA, where Mt Eden clone vines are surrounded by wild oak forest. Energetic, perfumed and pretty.
2022 Whitcraft Winery Santa Rita Hills, Radian Vineyard Pinot Noir
From Radian vineyard, on the westernmost edge of Santa Rita Hills where the Pacific Ocean whips wind, fog and cool temps into the vineyard – an extreme site that feels more north coast than central. Complex, taut Pinot Noir.
SHOP ALL WHITCRAFT
NEW ARRIVALS: SCAR OF THE SEA
Now in full swing farming their recently purchased Bassi Vineyard (you can bone up on SLO Coast here), Mikey and Gina Giugni have also been hard at work releasing bottles from the other fascinating sites they work with:
Rancho Vinedo Vineyard Solera Bottlings, Santa Barbara
Mikey started their solera Chardonnay a full decade ago; each release is 50% from the solera and 50% from the recent vintage, blended before bottling. It’s a rich, salty, almondy solera wine underpinned with distinctly old-vine-Cali Chardonnay.
Hofer Vineyard Grenache, Cucamonga Valley
Technically South Coast, but too fascinating not to mention here. If Cucamonga rings a bell (we hope it does!) it might be because you read last year’s interview with Rajat Parr. It’s home to some of the state’s oldest, most historic, and (until recently) most forgotten vineyards, and the vines in Hofer are own-rooted and pushing centenarian. Whole cluster fermented in an old redwood tank, with tiny production – it’s a very cool crunchy, sandalwood-scented bottle.
And, the essential release: those iconic Bassi bottlings of Pinot and Syrah, plus Gamay from right-next-door Topotero Vineyard.
NEW ARRIVALS: LADY OF THE SUNSHINE
Gina's '23s are sing👏ing👏 ...we seriously can't get enough of these. Like Mikey's Scar of the Sea, it's a special set of bottles from across Santa Barbara and SLO Coast that map out some of the best sites in California's Central Coast.
Stolpman Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc
Neighboring Whitcraft's Grenache above, these is own-rooted (and high density – ding ding ding!) Sauvignon Blanc. Gorgeously salty, zesty, juicy-fruited Sauvignon Blanc (and a staff favorite from this year).
Chêne Chardonnay + Pinot Bottlings
From Gina's signature site, 6.5 hectares which she has transitioned to be certified biodynamic, with regenerative practices to boot. Inland from their other SLO Coast sites, it's tucked into Edna Valley where ancient sand dunes meet volcanic sandstone. The result is Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with layers of rich aromatics and intense, electric minerality.
Botanical Solera White
Another Giugni solera project, but this time with a fascinating botanical twist. It's 50% white blend solera base (2018-2021) comprised of all of Gina's vintages and vineyard sites (!), and 50% wine from the recent vintage; blended and infused with dried botanicals from her Chêne and Stepladder Ranch sites. Incredibly small production that encapsulates the salt, wildflower, citrus aromas of the Central Coast.
Don't forget to grab an extremely tasty Nero d'Avola ;)