The vines here produce very small clusters, which lend a really beautiful deep and saturated palate with a firm multi-dimensional tannin. The tannin hits up front at first, which alongside the volcanic terroir has us thinking of Etna, then continues up the side with fruit density like in Tuscany and finishes with a hard mineral toned and linear mid-palate. This is savage mountain wine that delivers and you can absolutely pull the cork now with great pleasure.

Maître de Chai translates to cellar master, or the person responsible for the development and aging of wine. By extension, the humble cellar master is the person responsible for the management of the winery.

Established in 2012, Maître de Chai is the personal project of Marty Winters and Alex Pitts. Together they look to make wines of high quality in a way that best showcases the sense of place where the grapes are grown and the personality of the vineyard. From the ground to the bottle, the character of the wine is the focus of their endeavor. They source grapes from unique and distinct single vineyards that are impeccably farmed in California.

As their name implies, they care for the wines in the cellar. They defer to nature, limiting their intervention. They taste and they wait, allowing the wines to develop and speak for the places in which they are rooted.