Smoke on the Water

There may not be a more aptly named winery in all of California than Sea Smoke. The name itself evokes the Pacific Ocean fog that envelops the vineyards in the Santa Rita Hills outside Santa Barbara during the early morning hours. Much like how the fog gradually lifts, revealing the sprawling vineyards throughout the day, Sea Smoke Winery became an overnight sensation starting with its first vintage in 2001. After several years of critical fanfare, these wines have slipped back into the fog, yet continue to sell out whenever we offer them for sale.

Sea Smoke’s vines encompass a total of 1,100 acres, with 170 acres exclusively dedicated to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Since 2013, the vineyards have been meticulously tended to through biodynamic farming practices. After winemaker Kris Curran put the wines on the map, the reins were passed to Don Schroeder in 2008, who had spent five years working under Kris. The mark of consistency among these wines is easy to see when you realize that the winemaking team has remained largely unchanged since the first vintage.

The most noteworthy offerings include five vintages of Botella, which they stopped making after the 2014 vintage. Additionally, there’s a limited quantity of their tiny production Chardonnay, their fabulous sparkling wine called “Sea Spray”, and a single bottle of the 2010 One Barrel, a wine that only yields 25 cases in a single vintage.

The staples of today’s lineup are two extensive verticals of Southing (all sourced from south-facing vineyards) and Ten (incorporating all 10 clones of the vineyard) dating back to the 2005 and 2004 vintages, respectively. This collection of Sea Smoke is like no other that you will ever see us offer! These wines have all been impeccably stored, and, with so many that are drinkable now, this is a tremendous opportunity for Sea Smoke fans!