Phelan Farm Autrement 2021

Phelan Farm Autrement 2021

Phelan Farm
$47.00

Grape: Gamay, Mondeuse, Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2021
Type: Red

This cool-climate red blend is a unique estate bottling combining Gamay, Mondeuse, and Pinot Noir from the maritime slopes of Cambria. Winemaker Rajat Parr manages the vineyard rows under strict regenerative and biodynamic viticulture protocols to optimize soil health. The hand-picked grapes undergo an ambient co-fermentation driven by native wild vineyard yeasts inside neutral wooden and concrete vessels. It matures on its fine lees for several months and settles without filtration or added sulfur.

It pours a translucent ruby color, opening with high-toned aromatics of wild raspberry, tart cherry, and blue field flowers. On the palate, the light-bodied frame is fluid and energetic, focusing on a precise, low-extraction fruit presentation. Soft, fine-grained tannins integrate smoothly with a clean wave of maritime acidity that keeps the mouthfeel refreshed. Savory underscores of damp earth and white pepper add a light structural depth across the fluid core. It finishes completely bone-dry and persistent.

Phelan Farm is Raj Parr's coastal California project in Cambria, where the vineyard sits close enough to the Pacific to feel more like a cool-climate experiment than a conventional Central Coast estate. Parr, long known as a sommelier and for his work with Sandhi and Domaine de la Cote, uses Phelan to explore regenerative farming and a wide range of varieties in a maritime, limestone-influenced setting. The wines are made with minimal additions and an emphasis on energy, salinity and texture. They feel exploratory in the best sense, testing what coastal California can be when farming leads the conversation.