ABOUT THE WINE
“Autrement”—meaning “otherwise” or “differently” in French—is a fitting name for this genre-defying blend of co-fermented red and white grapes grown on the windswept slopes of Phelan Farm’s biodynamic estate in Cambria, just four miles from the Pacific. The 2022 vintage is a field blend that may include Pinot Noir, Trousseau, Mondeuse, Gamay, and various white varieties (often including Albariño or Chardonnay), all farmed without irrigation, chemicals, or tillage.
Fermented whole-cluster with native yeasts and aged in neutral vessels, the wine is made without additions or corrections—just grapes and time. The result is an airy, perfumed, and mineral-driven red that drinks more like a Jura or Savoie wine than anything traditionally Californian. Chill it lightly and pair with grilled trout, roasted root vegetables, or herbed goat cheese.
ABOUT THE PRODUCER
Phelan Farm is a radical outlier in the California wine landscape. Located in the cool-climate coastal hills of San Luis Obispo, it’s the passion project of Rajat Parr—renowned sommelier turned regenerative farmer and winemaker. Inspired by alpine France, Galicia, and traditional farming cultures, Parr eschews irrigation, monoculture, and intervention in both vineyard and cellar.
The estate is planted to a mix of obscure, often mixed-variety blocks selected for their compatibility with the farm’s cool, foggy microclimate and regenerative farming practices. Phelan Farm wines are uncompromisingly pure, low-alcohol, and made to express soil, place, and season. “Autrement” is a perfect reflection of that ethos: bright, alive, and deeply original.