Today we were able to taste California wines crafted on the edge – coastal cliffs, mountain tops, and rugged valleys – where adversity breeds greatness. This seminar at the VanWineFest 2025 showed us bold wines born from unforgiving terrains and regenerative farming.
Our Moderator was Elaine Chukan Brown. Winery Principals to tell us about their wines: Kori Butler, Andrew Gouveia, John Niven, Carson O’Connor, Sebastien Ouellet, Laura Reynolds, Matt Steel, and Dan Walsh.
I did not know anything about our moderator, so I used google to inform me and I was impressed. I learned “Elaine Chukan Brown serves as a writer, speaker, and global wine educator working at the intersection of sustainability, climate action, and reducing gatekeeping in wine. Brown has served as the Executive Editor US for JancisRobinson.com, a columnist for Decanter Magazine, a contributing writer to Wine & Spirits Magazine, as well as the 4th and 5th editions of The Oxford Companion to Wine, the 8th edition of The World Atlas of Wine, and the compilations On California and On Burgundy from Academie du Vin Library. Brown currently reviews wines of Napa Valley for Wine Enthusiast Magazine, serves as a judge for the Texsom Awards, and a board member of the Wine Writer Symposium. Brown co-founded the Diversity in Wine Leadership Forum, and have advised diversity initiatives in multiple countries.” (https://wakawakawinereviews.com/about/) She uses a pen name, Hawk Wakawaka, which you may recognize in wine writing.
A Discussion of Coastal California
Before modern mechanization in California, vineyards were planted in accessible areas, like valley bottoms. But moving forward into the 1960s and 1970s, California pushes closer to the coast and up slopes. Tractors took hold starting in the 1940s but took a bit longer before they were easier to purchase. California in the early 1970s consciously started planting vineyards at higher mountain elevations and on steeper slopes. This brought forward the recognition of “mountain tannins” in these wines.
The winery principals talked about the vineyard locations, what is unique about a location, why a particular varietal is planted there. What makes that vineyard edgy? Moderator Brown noted that our discussions will expand upon the character that is possible by growing in these more difficult areas.
Several of the wines come from the Monterey area, which is just south of Pebble Beach. The whole western coast of California has its climate affected strongly by the cold Pacific Ocean current. The cold ocean current moves away from the California coast at Santa Barbara and moves toward Hawaii at that point. The air from the coast areas comes from the ocean. There is also the boundary (San Andreas Fault) between the Pacific plate and the continental plate along the western coast of California. The fault gives California a very geologically diverse landscape for grape growing. There are coastal mountains, made of sedimentary rocks forming limestone, lifted from the Pacific plate. Inland, there is uplift from the continental plate and from now dormant volcanoes with their unique soils.
My Wine Tasting Notes
Cadre Wines Tangent Albarino 2023, Edna Valley – Edna Valley is near San Luis Obispo. This winery is certified biodynamic. John Niven’s grandfather planted the first grape vines in Edna Valley, 52 years ago. His grandfather hired two UC Davis professors in the 1960s to identify new regions along California’s central coast to plant grapes. The professors did the research independently so that his grandfather could compare their results. The Edna Valley was identified as the coolest region to grow grapes in the Central Valley. The Edna Valley is a transverse valley where the direction of the valley is perpendicular to the ocean so air can more easily move up and down the valley to the ocean. As the inner valley heats up, the air rises and it pulls the cooler air from the cool ocean. The valley will also be very windy, which helps to suppress moulds. Interestingly, the Edna Valley is at the same latitude as Morocco, which is very hot, so you can see how much the ocean cools the valley.
The Albarino grapes for this wine were picked in November 1st which is very late for a white grape to allow the acidity to be manageable plus to give much more fruit flavour. A long hang time for the grapes anywhere in North America. This wine has a medium-plus bright lemon colour. Medium-plus nose with aromas of lemon, honey, citrus and ripe stone fruits. Medium body, smooth and soft with texture on the palate. High acidity. Stone fruit flavour with touches of salinity, honey, oranges, and grape stem. Longer length with some pepperiness on the finish. Delicious. 
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Fogscape Arroyo Seco Pinot Noir 2021, Monterey – The 2021 vintage was a drier year that delayed harvest by two weeks, but it concentrated fruit flavours. The valley floor in Monterey is a fog valley. Lots of produce and grape growing in the valley. Monterey Bay has a deep underwater cavern where water coming from the north drops down the cavern and then is pushed up, extra cold. Monterey Valley is also transverse as it warms up in the day it pulls in that extra cold air.
A lighter, translucent garnet colour. Light red fruit and sweet spices on the nose. Medium body with a smooth, round mouthfeel. Red cherries on the palate. Bright acidity. Light tannins. Medium-plus length, finishing with red fruits and sweet spices flavours. 
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Cambria Estate Winery, Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021, Santa Maria Valley – SMV is just south of Edna Valley. What makes this wine stand out, the vineyard is over 1000 acres planted and that 500 acres are own-rooted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from 1971 to 74. That makes it one of the largest contiguous planted own-roots vines in California. This area has one of the longest growing season in California. Twenty percent of this wine is whole-cluster fermented and partial carbonic fermentation.
A medium transparent, crystal clear garnet colour. Medium intensity aromas of tea leaves, herbaceousness, red fruits and sweet spices. Medium body with a smooth, lightly round mouthfeel. Medium-plus acidity. Red cherries on the palate with touches of dill, candied cherries and nutmeg. Medium-plus length, finishing with tart red fruits and nutmeg.
Talbott Vineyards, Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022, Santa Lucia Highlands – Sits on the northern edge of the SLH. Their winery is fourteen miles from the ocean. The SLH valley is 30 km wide 120 km long. During Spring, the area starts with cool morning fog till around 10:30am, then with the heating in the valley you get sun to ripen the grapes, and finally you get very strong winds every 2pm at the vineyard. The strong winds causes the vine to slow respiration which slows the reduction of acidity in the grapes. 10:30 am – 2:00 pm you get the ripening time window at the vineyard. This slower ripening window means that they are picking Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in November.
A deeper, translucent garnet colour. Light aromas of red fruit and sweet spices. Medium-plus body with a smooth, soft mouthfeel. Medium-plus acidity and lighter tannins. Ripe red fruits, along with touches of red cherries and nutmeg. Medium-plus length with nutmeg spice going to the very end.
The above three red wines all come from Central Coast and share a certain lighter, red fruit character. As we move into the following warmer regions, note the aromas and flavours of the Pinot Noirs. It was mentioned that these cooler regions represent “refrigerated sunshine” as you do not get the pronounced diurnal shifts in temperature that you get in other warmer regions.
Hartford Court, Lands Edge Vineyards Pinot Noir 2022, Sonoma Coast – This is further north than the previous wines. This is a multiple vineyard blend as when they started making wine in 1994, the winery owners searched for semi-viable grape growing regions which means that not all regions would make fully ripe grapes for wine making; thus the blend. They now have two consistent vineyards that they use to produce this wine.
This wine has a medium intensity, translucent garnet. Light, interesting aromas of apples, red cherries and floral. It is dry with a lean mouthfeel. Red fruits and floral on the palate, along with a hint of nutmeg toward the finish. Higher acidity and soft, light tannins. Medium-plus length, finishing with light pepperiness and juicy red fruit flavours.
El Pinot Club, High Haven Pinot Noir 2022, Anderson Valley – a project where the best Pinot Noir parcels from two vineyards at elevation (1100 and 1600 ft) are selected for this wine. 1600 ft is about the height of two CN Towers stacked on each other. First vines planted in 1894 in the valley. It took 100 years before the valley become a recognized AVA. El Pinot Club started planting their vines in 2002 and 2007 in the area using 5-6 different clones. Harvest was done at the end of September. This region used to be the most northern region that they could grow wine grapes in California, but there are now vineyards further north. Anderson Valley is not quite a transverse valley as it has a curve along the valley which slows the wind making it softer.
This wine has a medium intensity, dull but translucent garnet colour. Medium intensity nose with red fruit aromas and touches of sweet spices and toast. Medium-plus body with a smooth, thicker mouthfeel. Medium acidity and firmer tannins. Red fruit and sweet spices on the palate plus a touch of floral. Medium-plus length with light pepperiness on the finish. A bigger, fuller bodied Pinot Noir.
Orin Swift Cellars, l’usine Annapolis Ridge Vineyard 2019, Sonoma Coast – This is a Northern Sonoma Coast vineyard planted on a 30 degree slope at elevation. It gets morning coastal fog, but clears in the afternoon so that the grapes get a long cool, ripening season, keeping their acidity and producing concentrated dark fruit flavours with small-sized grapes.
This wine has a deeper, dull garnet colour. Very light red fruit aromas. Medium body with a lean mouthfeel. Candied cherries, floral and minerality on the palate. Higher acidity. Tart fruit and candied cherries on the finish. –
Folktale Winery & Vineyards, Le Mistral Joseph’s Blend 2019, Monterey County – This is a GSM Rhone-style blend. Monterey Valley is well-known for growing Pinot Noir, but if you go higher upslope, in corners where the wind is not as strong, Syrah makes a statement. The valley floor grows vegetables primarily. The lifted terraces (benchlands) to the left of the river was recommended to grow wine grapes. The GSM grapes take a little longer to grow in this area again giving you more concentrated fruit flavours and still keeping the acidity.
It has a deeper, dull garnet colour. Light aromas of red fruit and a touch of oak. It is dry, medium-plus body with a lean mouthfeel. Tart red fruits, cherries and minerality on the palate. Light tannins. An acid-driven wine. Medium length with tart red fruits on the finish.
Booker Fracture 2019, Paso Robles – made with 100% Syrah grapes. Many vineyards in Paso Robles are planted at elevation and on steep slopes which benefits Syrah grapes. Booker vinyard is located in the southwestern part (Willow Creek), a cool area in Paso Robles. They are 15 mi from the Pacific Ocean in the Templeton Gap where they get early morning fog that burns off around 10am and then cool winds around 2:30pm, similar to the climate of the Santa Lucia Highlands (and Talbott Vineyards). They have 60 acres under vine, with 30 acres under Syrah. The vineyard is also certified organic and regenerative organic.
This wine is opaque garnet from rim to core! It has a medium intensity, deep, ripe black fruit aromas. Fuller body with a soft, smooth mouthfeel. Ripe berry fruits, candied cherries, and touches of floral and minerality on the palate. Medium acidity and lighter, fine grained tannins. Medium-plus length with tannins firming up on the finish.
DAOU Vineyards Soul of a Lion Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, Paso Robles – DAOU Vineyards, located on DAOU Mountain, the western edge of Paso Robles, has the highest elevation tasting room in the area. 1200 acres was originally planted by André Tchelistcheff and later purchased by Stanley Hoffman. Daniel Daou moved to the area and purchased the last 212 acres and planted 120 acres of Bordeaux grape varieties. The vineyard is on a steep mountain slope. The winery now owns 450 acres. They are organic and sustainable on the first 120 acres and working on getting the rest certified. They lose 5-8 degrees F from the valley floor so they are able to get cooler but days, a long ripening season, plus fog and wind from the Templeton Gap allowing them to dry farm. The vines struggle on the higher mountain slopes, so the grapes are smaller and you get a higher level of tannins (pulp to skin), so you get big tannic wines. Cellar management is important when dealing with mountain fruit tannins.
This wine is made with 85% Cabernet Sauvignon blended with 12% Cabernet Franc and 6% Petit Verdot. It has an opaque black garnet colour in the glass. Light intensity aromas of deep, dark fruits plus a touch of capsicum. Medium body with a smooth mouthfeel. Firm tannins and medium acidity. Ripe, dark black fruits flavours, plus some herbaceousness (dill?). Medium-plus length finishing with very firm tannins.
Thank you to the Vancouver International Wine Festival for providing me a seat to attend this seminar.
