California is home to 152 established American Viticultural Areas. Of that number, 40 fall along the Central Coast. And from that broader list, 3 AVAs are undeniably among the greatest cool climate wine regions not only in California, but in the whole of North America (and we'd argue, in the world): Sta. Rita Hills, Monterey, and Santa Cruz Mountains. They each have their challenges, and none is easy to farm. The terroir is rugged, the diurnal shifts dramatic, the vineyard work tireless and physically demanding. For a winemaker like Samuel Louis Smith, who has invested himself entirely into understanding even the most extreme, mountainous sites within these AVAs, the challenges of the region are well worth the reward: arguably the best Pinots, Chardonnay, and Syrah being produced in North America.
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Sam traveled a long way to get back to exactly where he started. While studying Economics, Spanish, and French at UC Santa Barbara, he couldn't shake the nagging desire to chase his nascent interest in winemaking, and decided to spend a semester abroad in Bordeaux (for the wine and great surfing in equal measure, he claims). A pairing of confit de canard with ’89 Margaux on a cold Sunday afternoon with his host family served as an epiphanous moment for him, and his path to establishing his own project was soon underway. Over the course of his career, Sam has worked in Australia (Mitchelton), the Willamette Valley (Tendril), the Northern Rhône (Villard), Champagne (Nowack & Sélèque), and finally, back in Santa Barbara (Brander, Tres Hermanas, Margerum). Ultimately, he left his day job as head winemaker at Morgan Winery and devoted his attention entirely to his own label, focused on highlighting the cool-climate elegance from the Central Coast’s organic and mountainous terroirs. And specifically, from exceptional single vineyards in the Sta. Rita Hills, Monterey, and the Santa Cruz Mountains.
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On Friday, Sam will be behind the bar at Solano with our dear friend Maria Castelli to pour through his latest releases, representing each of those 3 AVAs - single vineyard Chardonnay from the steep, north-facing slopes of the biodynamic Spear Vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills, Gamay from the incredibly cool-climate Escolle Vineyard in the northern end of the Santa Lucia Highlands, two Pinot Noirs from Monterey (one a single vineyard, the other a blend of multiple mountain-top sites), and two Syrahs that showcase the windswept terraces of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
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6 wines for $30 ($20 club)
Friday, July 26th
5-8pm
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*No reservations necessary