Perhaps no brand is as mysterious and beloved quite like Sea Smoke. Their business model was unique. First, every single bottle is made from the estate’s holdings – no purchased fruit ever – even if demand far outstrips supply. No required allocations. They have a list – it’s free to join. First come, first served. If you don’t want the wines, no worries, the person right behind you will.
Perhaps those factors alone would have catapulted the winery into the cult wine stratosphere, it’s certainly a recipe for scarcity. But the real appeal of these wines was their complete and utter uniqueness; people had never tasted anything like them. And that’s not likely to change.
Unlike the estates that line the Napa Valley floor, many indistinguishable from the next, there’s only one Sea Smoke. Here’s why.
The estate’s vineyards are located at the exact intersection of an amazing natural anomaly. First, the vineyards sit in the Northern Hemisphere’s Southernmost (read the sunniest) region 1 microclimate. The vineyards are cut into the Southern exposure of the hills running down to the Santa Ynez river. The perfection location to make meaningful Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.