Author: Allison Levine

Hitching Post Wines

420 E HWY 246 Lompoc CA 93427
www.hpwines.com

Region: Santa Barbara County

Owners: Frank Ostini & Gray Hartley

Winemakers: Frank Ostini and Weston Hartley

About: Led by Frank Ostini (owner of the Hitching Post 2 Restaurant) and Gray Hartley, Hitching Post Wines has passed its 40th vintage in its ongoing quest to create the finest wines possible of Santa Barbara County. The emphasis is to make intriguing, age-worthy Pinot Noirs featuring Santa Barbara County’s two iconic appellations, the Santa Maria Valley and the Sta. Rita Hills. However, other lesser-known varieties such as Chenin Blanc and Valdeguie have also caught their attention. With Frank Ostini as Chef Winemaker since its inception, these are food-friendly, handcrafted wines of balance and finesse that express the essence of the great vineyards of the Santa Barbara region. Moving forward, the next generation of Hartleys – Emily (DTC Manager) and Weston (Winemaker) – have joined the team and are doing much of the heavy lifting at Hitching Post Wines.

What is your favorite forgotten grape? Valdiguie

What was your first experience with a forgotten grape? Sangiovese was first followed by old vine Chenin Blanc from Los Alamos grown by Louie Lucas.

What do you love most about the forgotten grapes? Great heritage varietals that are lesser known have so much potential when taken seriously and given respect. There is greater freedom to explore old and new techniques and styles.

JMC Cellars

6800 Greenville Road, Livermore CA 94550
jmccellars.wine

Region: Livermore Valley

Owner/Winemaker: Jessica Carroll

About: Like many that find themselves in this industry, Jessica started her path in a different field: Civil Engineering. She graduated from the University of Portland and worked as a Transportation Engineer in the Bay Area until finding her passion in wine.

After careful thought, she made the leap into wine in 2014. While completing her Certificate of Enology from Las Positas College, she worked full time at a winery in Livermore Valley. The list of reasons Jessica loves the wine industry is long and all of them make it a well matched career path for her.

She was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to open up her own winery in 2023 and jumped at the chance to fulfil that dream.

What is your favorite forgotten grape? Teraldego

What was your first experience with a forgotten grape? Jessica has been working with obscure varietals for a long time, it is something JMC is very proud of.

What do you love most about the forgotten grapes? Exposure to new and exciting varietals you cannot find on the grocery store shelf or in most tasting rooms.

Kinetic Cellars

282 W. Portland Ave. Fresno, CA 93711
www.kineticcellars.com

Region: Lodi

Owner: Cole Dennis

Winemaker: Cole Dennis

About: We specialize in crafting wines from unique varieties that we have come to love from our experiences with European wines. We craft wines with a European or, otherwise, Old-World mentality so that the resultant wines focus on and showcase the grapes from which they are made. We stress all of the important details that go into making a wine so that we can end up with wines of unique character that reflect the many aspects of terrior. We currently have focused on making wines from varieties that originate from Portugal and Spain.

What is your favorite forgotten grape? Nebbiolo

What was your first experience with a forgotten grape? Outside of childhood, my colleagues and I would taste a bunch of esoteric wines from the old world in College during my senior year. That was our goal – to find all of the off-the-wall unique tasting wines that we could find in Fresno. That was a special and impressionable time for me, and I am forever grateful for it.

What do you love most about the forgotten grapes? What I love about forgotten grapes is that they have some much personality to them. They are just as good if not better than all of the mainstream varieties that are on the market in the big box stores and even the grocery store shelves. You can start to truly taste the passion a winemaker has when you get to try these odd varieties because all of the “toys” that winemakers tend to use get put away and the grapes get a chance to shine in these wines.

L.A. Lepiane Wines

1480 Count Fleet St., Santa Barbara, CA
www.lepianewines.com

Region: Santa Barbara County

Owner/Winemaker: Alison Thomson

About: Founded in 1935 by Luigi A. Lepiane, and re-established by his great-granddaughter in 2013, L.A. Lepiane Wines focuses on small lots of unexpected Italian varieties. Alison Thomson crafts unique wines, using traditional techniques, natural fermentations and lots of time. Her wines reflect true character of the varieties translated in California’s soil and sun.

What is your favorite forgotten grape? Nebbiolo

What was your first experience with a forgotten grape? I worked my first harvest for Ettore Germano in Barolo, Italy.

What do you love most about the forgotten grapes? I love variety and a good story. Introducing consumers to less known grape varieties expands their wine drinking horizons to new regions, flavors, and aromas. Variety is the spice of life.

Lindquist Family Wines

4665 Santa Maria Mesa Rd, Santa Maria, CA 93454
verdadandlindquistfamilywines.com

Region: Santa Maria Valley

Owners/Winemakers: Bob Lindquist and Louisa Sawyer Lindquist

About: We make a number of forgotten grapes from cool climate vineyards on the Central Coast.

What is your favorite forgotten grape? Marsanne

What was your first experience with a forgotten grape? Probably my first experience would have been when I was in college with Wente Grey Riesling, which is Trousseau Gris.  As a winemaker, the first forgotten grape that I made was a 1987 Marsanne, which I still make today.

What do you love most about the forgotten grapes? There is so much diversity in flavors, aromas and character…and they can often be better values.