2019 Subliminal White, Santa Ynez Valley

Since debuting our Subliminal Red in 2016, we had been toying with the idea of crafting a white counterpart from Bordeaux varieties. So, when the opportunity came up in 2019 to work with 41-year-old Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon from a single vineyard in Santa Ynez, we knew we had to take it. Direct-to-press, fermented in stainless steel and aged for 9 months in neutral wood, this is far from a typical Sauvignon Blanc. For one, this wine completed malolactic, which is very rare to see with Sauvignon Blanc; we felt that the acid was racy enough that it would aid in the overall textural balance, and also would prevent us from needing to filter. Additionally, the extended barrel time on undisturbed lees is also rare for these varieties that are often aged in stainless and bottled after only 2 or 3 months. This aided in the aromatic and textural development of the wine, moving from primary herbaceous notes to more interesting suggestions of fig, flowers, and tropical fruit. Lastly, we co-fermented these varieties, which do not typically ripen at the same time. Semillon, picked perfectly underripe, girdles the wine with its acidity and mineral intensity, while ripe Sauvignon Blanc buttresses the texture and delivers compelling and intense aromatics. This wine feels to us like it has a kinship with the new wave of producers in Sancerre, as well as the risk-takers in Bordeaux, though it is unmistakably California. 

233 cases produced

2019 Subliminal Red, Santa Ynez Valley

Our fourth vintage of Subliminal, we are now referring to this as a red table wine rather than purely Cabernet Sauvignon, as we’ve found it to be a more complete, complex wine with a larger percentage of Merlot in the mix. While it is still predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, we’ve upped the Merlot to provide more textural breadth as well as a broader spectrum of aromatics. This comes from 3 different sites, all of which are organically farmed: My Friend Matt’s Vineyard, Giff’s Vineyard, and Coquelicot Vineyard. This is a drink-me-now Cabernet Sauvignon- juicy, fresh, and already showing more complex secondary aromatics such as dried herbs, freshly-sharpened pencil, and earth. Yum, yum, and yum. Get some before we drink it all.

54% Merlot,, 46% Cabernet Sauvignon

100% neutral French oak, 12 months

Unfined/Unfiltered