Launching our new Wine Collection next week!
"The wines I have tasted are superb. Native fermentations, minimal oak influence, and no fining or filtration are de rigeur. Readers should do whatever they can to taste these wines, as they are special and promising." -Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Mikey Giugni started Scar of the Sea in 2012 making Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and cider with fruit from Santa Maria Valley and coast of San Luis Obispo. The wines are inspired by the influence of the Pacific Ocean and how it shapes the climate, soils, and geology of the coastal vineyards that fall under the spell of the fog each day.
Mikey works with a small selection of vineyards who are working sustainably for the future, and that are practicing organic or biodynamic farming as a minimum. He's drawn older sites like Bien Nacido and Onitveros, planted in the 70s, which is relatively rare in California.
He operates out of a small warehouse winery in San Luis Obispo, and makes wines with as little intervention as possible, using native yeast fermentations, mostly neutral oak barrels, no fining and rarely filtering, with just a responsible amount of SO2 used throughout the wine's life.
The wines are made with the intention to tell a story of where they come from, the people who farm them, and to reflect each vintage under the California sun. These are pure, seductive wines with poise and balance.
WINES
Edge Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley
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This wine is produced from the Rancho Vinedo Vineyard, planted in the Santa Maria Valley in 1973 on its own roots. It is farmed with organic practices by James Ontiveros.
The grapes are picked based on natural acidity, flavors, and visual signs in the vineyard. Once in the cellar, the grapes are pressed and fermented with native yeast in old french oak barrels. The wine is aged on lees for 17 months before being racked for the first time to bottle, unfined & unfiltered, with minimal sulfur used. Think citrus flowers, orange meringue, salted almonds with bright acidity
624 cases produced
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Scar of the Sea Bassi Vineyard Chardonnay
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This wine is made from 21 year old vines at the Bassi Vineyard, located on the coastal hillsides of Avila Valley. This bottling is a unique snapshot of a true coastal vineyard in California, located 1.2 miles from the Pacific Ocean. This wine is full of energy and precision.
The juice is fermented with native yeast and bacteria in 228 L & 500 L barrels, then aged on lees for 17 months, and racking to bottle, without fining or filtration, with minimal sulfur used.
Think lemon cake, caramel apple with chalky minerality
12.5% alcohol, 240 cases made
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Scar of the Sea Vino de los Ranchos Pinot Noir
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This wine is a blend of two Santa Maria Vineyards. The younger plantings are from Rancho Ontiveros Vineyard and the old vine plantings are from Rancho Vinedo Vineyard, planted in 1973.
Both of these vineyards are farmed using organic farming practices.
The 2022 vintage is a compilation of 5 separate picks, fermented with native yeast and partial whole cluster. The wine aged for 7 months in old french oak barrels and was racked the first time to bottle, unfined and unfiltered, with minimal sulfur used.
Think candied cherry, juicy cranberry, and earl grey tea leaves
2,256 cases made
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Scar of the Sea Old Vines Zinfandel
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Planted in 1918, 70 miles inland from Los Angeles and certified organic by CCOF, this vineyard is part of California history. Farmed today by the Galleano family, we are lucky to be able to make wine from this old vineyard. The vines are farmed without irrigation in granite rocks and sandy soil surrounded by freeways and track homes. This vineyard is one of the last reminders of an old California.
This wine was picked in early August, fermented with native yeast and 50% whole cluster. The grapes were basket pressed at dryness and then aged for 8 months in old French oak barrels before being racked for the first time to bottle, without fining or filtration, and with minimal sulfur used.
Think candied raspberry and blueberry, accents of tea leaves, dried flowers and dusty earth
216 cases made
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Scar of the Sea Rose of Pinot Noir
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This vintage of Rose comes from a newly planted and producing vineyard, Casa Contenta, located just west of the Topotero & Bassi Vineyard, in Avila Beach, within the SLO Coast AVA. The Pinot Noir was picked for natural acidity and foot tread to soak on the skins for 4 hours before being whole bunch pressed. The juice was settled overnight then barrel down to old french oak to ferment with native yeast & bacteria. The wine aged on lees for 7 months, bottled unfined and unfiltered, with minimal sulfur used.
Think alpine strawberries, ocean mist, and orange peels
216 cases made
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Scar of the Sea Rancho Ontiveros Pinot Noir
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This wine comes from Rancho Ontiveros in Santa Maria Valley. The wine was fermented with native yeast and 30% whole cluster in small 1.5T wooden boxes. The wine was pressed in our wooden basket press at dryness. The wine aged on fine lees in neutral french oak barrels for 10 months, then the wine was bottled without fining or filtration.