2027 Wineries Los Angeles

Marbeso

65 Los Padres Way. Buellton, CA marbesowine.com Region: Santa Barbara County Owners: Colin & Hannah McNany Winemaker: Colin McNany About: Marbeso is a small boutique winery based out of Buellton producing cool-climate wines in close proximity to the ocean. Sourcing organically farmed grapes from Santa Barbara & Santa Cruz Mtns., Marbeso was founded in 2019 by husband & wife duo Colin & Hannah McNany. After 15 years of making wines in Santa Cruz Mtns, they moved down South to launch the business with the intention of making delicious, lower alcohol acid driven wines that they love to drink. What is your favorite undiscovered grape? Aligote What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? Working with Pedro Ximenez out of the Cuyama Valley. What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? They are just as delicious if not more than the standard varietals you commonly see around. When you expose yourself and others to these grape varietals, you are opening the minds of people who least expect it and therefore are changed for the better.

Marchelle Wines

2064 Hwy 116 N Ste 102 Sebastopol, CA 95472
Tasting Room: 34 North St, Healdsburg, CA 95447
marchellewines.com

Region: Russian River Valley, Sonoma County

Owners: Kevin Lee and Greg La Follette

Winemaker: Greg La Follette and Evan Damiano

About: Marchelle employs traditional winemaking techniques combined with modern innovations to create wines that harmonize balance, finesse, and complexity. The resulting wines display a purity of fruit, precise acidity, and a seamless integration of flavors—a testament to Greg La Follette’s artistry and the exceptional vineyards from which the grapes are sourced.

What is your favorite undiscovered grape? Cinsaut, as it comes from the oldest producing Cinsaut vineyard in the world at Bechthold Vineyard in Mokelumne River AVA in Lodi, originally planted in 1886

What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? Colombard, it is Marchelle’s origin story as Greg La Follette nursed these old vines back to health at Betty Ann Vineyard in the Russian River Valley. The crisp acidity and green apple flavors pair so well with raw oysters.

What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? It’s unique and interesting and something most people have not tried. Discovering something special and creating an exceptional wine from it.

McPrice Myers Wines

3525 Adelaida Road, Paso Robles, CA
mcpricemyers.com

Region: Paso Robles

Owner: McPrice Myers

Winemaker: McPrice Myers

About: As founder and winemaker of his eponymous winery, McPrice “Mac” Myers makes serious wines with depth and grace. His winemaking philosophy mirrors his approach to life: Dream big. Work hard. Have fun while making great things happen. Mac was born and raised in the San Gabriel Valley. He earned a baseball scholarship to Rio Hondo College in Whittier, and around that time landed a job at a Southern California Trader Joe’s. That’s where he developed an appreciation for food and wine – and Rhône wines, in particular. These days, this tenacious, self-taught winemaker quietly crafts some of Paso Robles’ most lauded releases. He’s considered the region’s undiscovered genius, yet he’s also known for his low-key demeanor. As his wines rival those made by Domaine du Pégaü, Mac has earned the title of arm-wrestling champ of Châteauneuf-du-Pape on a Hospice du Rhône trip – all while sporting his signature style in Dickies-brand workwear. Mac is a humble individual backed by an amazing winery team. Together, they’re strengthening Paso’s reputation as a world-class wine region.

What is your favorite undiscovered grape? Cinsault. It handles the warm, dry Paso Robles climate extremely well. It provides a lot of floral and more exotic aromatics, so it’s cool as its own and great to blend with.

What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? Graciano. It’s got a surprising energy and color to it, and it surprised me with its complex aromatics. A little goes a long way in blending.

What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? There is so much more to wine than what you find on the beaten path. Paso Robles’ climate is suitable for so many more grapes than just Zinfandel, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon. You’re missing out by not experiencing what’s out there.

Nicora Winery

2945 Limestone Way, Paso Robles, CA 93446
nicorawine.com

Region: Paso Robles

Owner: Nick Elliott

Winemaker: Nick Elliott

About: Nicora winery was founded in 2009 in Paso Robles and we focus primarily on Rhone blends. We source our fruit from Bien Nacido, Edna Valley, and the westside of Paso Robles. We will be pouring our 100% Grenache called “Euphoric” and our 100% Tannat from G2 vineyard in Paso Robles.

What is your favorite undiscovered grape? Tannat

What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? We fell in love with Tannat after being introduced to it by Tablas Creek, which was the first in America to grow it. It has an amazing color, and it’s really fun to teach Cabernet lovers about Tannat because they always love it.

What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? The challenge! It’s fun to ferment grapes we have never worked with before; we get to have a new challenge every year, and it allows us to make our blends more complex. It’s like cooking with a new ingredient.

Omega Road Winery

2135 S Vasco Rd, Unit C, Livermore, CA 94550
www.omegaroadwinery.com

Region: Livermore Valley

Owners: Alexandra Henkelman, Ken Henkelman, Nicky Henkelman

Winemakers: Alexandra Henkelman + Ken Henkelman

About: Omega Road Winery is more than just a place to enjoy great wine. Our passion is crafting beautiful wines, and our heart and soul go into each bottle we produce. We believe in the magic of wine to spark connection, build friendships, and bring people together.

What is your favorite undiscovered grape? Torrontés is a delicious and delightful undiscovered varietal – aromas of orange blossom and ginger are present right from the moment grapes are picked in the field, all the way through crush, fermentation, and into the bottle. It’s a bold wine, not by being overpowering, but by the balance of softness and structure. It’s a grape that holds nuance, but also is ready to be enjoyed by everyone.

What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? Our first foray into Torrontés was a bit of a harvest gamble. We took a chance on trying a new varietal that not only had we not tried before, but had never even heard of. With only a week’s notice of when the grapes would be harvested, we bought as many bottles of Torrontés as we could find (in the name of research, of course) and started reading up on the grape. With a lot of excitement and only a hint of trepidation, we jumped in a week later and brought in the grapes. That was in 2019, and we haven’t looked back since!

What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? There’s something truly momentous about watching someone taste a wine that’s completely unfamiliar to them. It’s a moment of discovery… a moment of unbridled fascination… a moment of curiosity. That introduction to something new opens a whole new world – not just of wine, but of places and of people. For me (and our team at Omega Road), the beauty of Forgotten Grapes is that it allows our community to expand their palates while expanding their minds. Besides, who doesn’t love getting to be the first to tell their friends about the best new wine they’ve ever tried?

Ottavino Wines

1160 Hopper Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
ottavinowines.com

Region: Santa Rosa

Owner: Shalini Sekhar

Winemaker: Shalini Sekhar

About: Shalini’s first passion was playing the piccolo. Now her passion is creating small-lot wines: a natural migration from one form of art and science to another. Ottavino focuses on varieties and winemaking techniques which are less common in California but outstanding nonetheless. Ottavino currently produces Grüner Veltliner, Rosé of St. Laurent, St. Laurent, and Chardonnay in Austrian oak. As an Indian-American woman winemaker originally from New Jersey, Shalini knows a thing or two about being unexpected but exceptional!

What is your favorite undiscovered grape? Grüner Veltliner – It is unlike working with Chardonnay, which I had a decade+ + of experience making. My favorite Grüners from Austria are from the Kamptal region and ride the line between minerality, spice, and fruit purity. Learning to work with Grüner in California to get the spiciness inherent in the grape to balance with a core of fruit has taken time to understand.

What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? I think it was when I began studying for WSET exams before I changed careers into winemaking. I remember our German unit and tasting Scheurebe for the first time (and learning to pronounce it!). The intensity of the aroma, but truly dry palate felt so distinctly different than Riesling itself.

What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? I’m truly focused on helping people discover these other amazing grapes. I’m applying classic, minimal intervention winemaking, which I’ve done for years with Pinot Noir & Chardonnay, to show that you can make noteworthy wines from grapes you don’t encounter as often.

Pali Wine Co.

1036 W. Aviation Drive. Lompoc, CA, 93436
paliwineco.com

Region: Santa Barbara County

Owner: Perr Family

Winemaker: Aaron Walker

About: From the Palisades to Santa Barbara County. What started as backyard dinners and a love of wine has grown into a family-run winery with roots across California’s Central Coast. Founded by Tim and Judy Perr in 2005, Pali Wine Co. blends tradition, curiosity, and community—from our early days in a Lompoc garage to our estate vineyard, natural wine project, and coastal tasting rooms. Today, Pali is guided by two generations of the Perr family, our longtime winemaker Aaron Walker, and a commitment to wines that reflect people, place, and purpose.

Pali Wine Co. is our flagship label, focused on small-lot wines that reflect the character of California’s Central Coast. In 2012, we planted Pali Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills—originally with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, now also home to Gamay, Syrah, Chenin Blanc, and Dornfelder. From sourcing to cellar, our wines are shaped by place, guided by sustainability, and grounded in long-standing grower relationships.

Neighborhood is the sketchbook for Pali—a space to experiment, push boundaries, and explore new ideas. Led by Nick and Carmen Perr, this label is rooted in natural winemaking and shaped by the energy of Los Angeles. Every bottle is wild-fermented, unfined, unfiltered, and made with minimal sulfur.

What is your favorite undiscovered grape? A few favorites: Cabernet Pfeffer, Dornfelder, and Orange Muscat.

What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? We first experimented with Dornfelder when sourcing from our neighbors, Huber Vineyard. Our 2015 vintage was extremely dark in color with a surprisingly light, acid-driven frame. Nearly 10 years later, we planted Dornfelder on our estate property and are producing varietals under Pali Wine Co. and Neighborhood Winery, experimenting with our winemaking for this stunning grape!

On another note, we were privileged to begin sourcing from Enz Vineyard in 2022. We now source Cabernet Pfeffer, Zinfandel, Orange Muscat, and ancient-vine Mourvèdre from their property. We love the opportunity to highlight terroir in each of our wines, whether it’s skin-contact Orange Muscat or carbonic macerated Cab Pfeffer!

What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? Sharing with our guests and wine club members across our tasting rooms!