Anika, meaning impermanence in Sanskrit, refers to the evolution this sans soufre wine sees over its lifetime. Lithe and unclenched, Anika is rustic yet fresh, like the Northern Rhône bottlings that inspired it. Tart blueberries, black pepper and iodine lead a buoyant nose. Instantly mineral and savory on the palate, it deftly navigates layers of fruit, spice and animal with mouthwatering acidity and fine, easy going tannins. The play between high-toned carbonic fruit and salty whole-cluster influence is balanced and delightful. Delightful now, it will only improve with time.

A younger planting below Domaine de la Côte, Romance exudes the same near-paradoxical freshness and strength of the vines above it. The intensity of this south-facing, wind-battered Chardonnay is immediately felt. Orchard fruit and flint lead the nose while citrus blossoms recalling the bright, vernal label explode on the palate. Mineral, lithe, with incredible depth and texture, rich fruit, nuttiness and acidity frame the entire package. The polished finish carries these elements for minutes. Though outgoing and ready, this cuvée still has so much to offer in the coming years. It is a refined, joyful wine, conveyed with power and trueness to site.

97 pts. James Suckling 

Hailing from 50-year-old vines on their own roots, this cuvée is transparent and focused, a portal into the most famed of Santa Rita Hills’ windswept sites. The nose is oceanic, a margarita mix of salty citrus, chalk and baked nuts that meets levity and a lightly baked quality on the palate. The whole affair sings with nerve and acidity but concentration just the same. No wonder the Burgundy-phile in Raj – and those before him – gravitated to this site decades ago. Its unapologetically mineral backbone provides the perfect canvas for a linear, balanced Chardonnay. This bottling shows not just its cool vintage and coastal terroir, but Raj’s 18 years spent studying the most storied place in Santa Barbara County.

95 pts. James Suckling

Sourced from Rim Rock Vineyard, a sun-kissed patch of shale six miles from the coast, 2021 Amrita lauds the merits of coastal viticulture in a cool, steady vintage. The site is one of the Central Coast’s best-kept secrets. It’s planted to own-rooted Pinot Noir atop a hill in the Arroyo Grande Valley AVA and benefits from the area’s steady breezes while missing its intractable fog, ideal for fresh and vibrant Pinot Noir. Sanskrit for "immortality" or "nectar" – Amrita is believed to be the elixir of the gods. Bright and perfumed, it’s even chromatically-correct, resembling its ruby color as ripe pomegranate and rose petals pour from the glass. The herbs and spice of cool-climate Pinot Noir wrap these light tones with serious tension and structure. Black tea, cola and mint meet a chiseled, mineral finish.

Years ago, when asked if I would ever make Cabernet Sauvignon, I immediately said “never”. My winemaking partner Sashi Moorman wisely replied “Never say never Raj”. Lo and behold the 2016 vintage and the birth of this wonderful adventure called the Raj Parr Wine Club gave me an opportunity to work with an incredible farmer and a beautiful vineyard to make my very first Cabernet Sauvignon. The Dead Fred Vineyard in Napa Valley’s Coombsville appellation is farmed by my good friend Steve Matthiasson. Like me, Steve is curious and probing, never content and always looking to improve and grow and learn more. We bring this Cabernet winemaking adventure to a close on a classic vintage. 2019 offers a dense and compact expression of Cabernet. Bright blue and red fruits and hints of graphite bring a pure and concentrated wine to the palate. The finish is already lengthy and pronounced and the wine is fresh and ready to be enjoyed now.

1,116 bottles produced
 

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MOURVÈDRE produces soulful wines that develop very slowly, revealing their structure and texture very incrementally. Defined by their structure, the best Mourvèdre combine black and blue fruits with a faint red pepper note. The 2019 ANIKA Mourvèdre comes from a remarkable and somewhat hidden site called the Enz vineyard. Here we work with 100+ year old vines in loam soils in a valley some 1,000 feet below the famed Calera Vineyards. The eroded and sandy soils offer a pliant texture and more rounded, pleasing tannins.

We ferment the grapes whole-cluster in large concrete vats. As with all our wines, we vinify ANIKA with no additions of any kind. After a natural fermentation, the wine is racked to old barrels where it ages for 10 month before going to bottle with no filtration or sulfur additions.

 

If there is a theme to the white wines that I make and drink it might be called textural and non-aromatic white wines. Chardonnay falls under this category as does the Jura variety Savagnin. In Bordeaux, Sémillon is another white grape that falls in this category. It offers a wonderful richness and a waxy texture. The most compelling thing about this category of wines is how they develop so many interesting layers and flavors with time.

I began this wine club with a new challenge of crafting Cabernet Sauvignon in a classic, old-school California style. I had never before tried my hand with any Bordeaux varieties and the warm reception of the first two vintages of Never Say Never Cabernet Sauvignon led me down the rabbit hole a bit further. While Cabernet is the noble red grape of Bordeaux, the noble white grape is Sémillon. I was lucky to procure some beautiful Sémillon from the last head-trained, dry farmed Sémillon vines in the Napa Valley. Farmed organically since the mid-80s, this relatively cool pocket of the valley ripens early, at low potential alcohol, and with lots of flavor and texture. We harvested the Sémillon from the Yount Mill Vineyard on August 26th, 2019 and pressed the juice into neutral barrels. The wine fermented naturally and we raised it for one year in barrel before bottling. Never Say Never Sémillon was bottled without any fining or filtering.

Last year, we shared our first ANIKA Rosé, from the 2019 vintage. The response was so enthusiastic and the wine disappeared so quickly, I was motivated to offer another 'serious' rosé this year. Sourced from a different vineyard and made from a different variety, fans of ANIKA will recall the 2018 Mourvèdre (my personal favorite wine club wine to date). Taking inspiration from and following in the mode of the Provençal region of Bandol, we harvested the Mourvèdre early, set on making a 'rosé of intent'. I drove the grapes to the winery where, after a 24-hour maceration, the clusters were gently pressed into neutral barrels. After a very brief, four month élevage, the wine was bottled without sulfur or filtration. Deep in color, this exotic rose is expressive, with crazy notes of orange curaçao and raspberry confiture.

140 cases produced

Nithya is a Sanskrit word that means ‘eternal’. This wine is pure Cabernet Franc, sourced from the Massa Vineyard in Carmel Valley. Massa is a certified organic farm and a very unique place. The vineyard seems like it has been there forever. There is an Alpine feel to it, and yet, you are firmly in sunny California. The Carmel Valley’s limestone soils imbue the wine with an energy I find really intriguing.

The wine was raised in neutral barrel and bottled without filtration or the addition of sulfur. There is a very energetic, coniferous green note that hums along, just below the surface of the aromatics, but the wine is incredibly generous with flavors of black cherry and plum. -40 cases produced

Years ago in a Paris bistro, I enjoyed a completely new and inspiring glass of wine. l'Autrement was the name and it was an amazing blend of Mondeuse, Gamay, and Pinot Noir. The intriguing aromas and its unique deliciousness captured my imagination and made me SMILE!

After several visits with the winemakers, Marie and Florian Curtet - in the foothills of the French Alps, I felt confident enough to try something similar here in California. The fruit from all 3 varieties was de-stemmed and fermented separately in small tanks, then blended and aged in 2 used puncheons (500L barrels). I love how the distinction of each grape variety shines through. Pinot Noir offers fruit, Gamay brings acidity, and Mondeuse contributes a rich, dark color. 

The wine is playful, juicy, crunchy, and super-super good!

OK, so the name is a bit irreverent. Tres Chingones refers to the 3 major pests (a$$h@!es) in our vineyard: wild boar, coyote, and starling. It also represents the fantastic combination of these three bad-ass varieties together.

WATCH TRES CHINGONES VIDEO 

Raahi means ‘traveler’ in Hindi and I have traveled a long way, both literally and figuratively to make this Zinfandel. To visit the Esola Vineyard in Lodi, California’s Shenandoah Valley requires me to drive farther than any other vineyard. The journey is absolutely worth it. In firm, granite soils and from old, own-rooted vines, I am able to work with small clusters of intensely perfumed Zinfandel. There is a wildness, a savage quality to Zinfandel that I enjoy so much. Like Syrah, there are savory qualities of pepper and spice that mingle so well with the brighter, wilder fruit profile inherent in Zinfandel. 

I fermented the 2019 Raahi Zinfandel in an old wooden tank, leaving the grape clusters intact and striving for an incredibly gentle and natural fermentation. The small berries offered up plenty of texture, structure, and color on their own, without having to coax any more out of them. The resulting wine is wonderfully spiced and peppery while still retaining lifted fruit notes that make the wine drink really well right now. 

Because of the savory elements in the 2019 Raahi Zinfandel, the wine sings with anything well-seasoned and cooked over an open flame. From slow cooked ribs to a quickly grilled tri-tip, I hope Raahi will be right by your side as you grill away this summer. 

Years ago in a Paris bistro, I enjoyed a completely new and inspiring glass of wine. l'Autrement was the name and it was an amazing blend of Mondeuse, Gamay, and Pinot Noir. The intriguing aromas and its unique deliciousness captured my imagination and made me SMILE!

This marks the third vintage of Tres Chingones. The fruit from all 3 varieties was de-stemmed and fermented separately in small tanks, then blended and aged in 2 used puncheons (500L barrels). I love how the distinction of each grape variety shines through. Pinot Noir offers fruit, Gamay brings acidity, and Mondeuse contributes a rich, dark color. 

The wine is playful, juicy, crunchy, and super-super good!

OK, so the name is a bit irreverent. Tres Chingones refers to the 3 major pests (a$$h@!es) in our vineyard: wild boar, coyote, and starling. It also represents the fantastic combination of these three bad-ass varieties together.

WATCH TRES CHINGONES VIDEO