2027 Wineries San Jose

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.

Markus Wine Co

PO Box 236, Victor, CA 95253
markuswine.com

Region: Lodi

Owner: Markus Niggli

Winemaker: Markus Niggli

About: We are a small boutique winery focusing on small lots – mostly old vine or ancient vine blocks – creating European style whites and reds

What is your favorite undiscovered grape? Carignan is the perfect grape to work with, especially from an ancient vine block grown at the right place

What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? 

What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? Undiscovered Grapes offer something new to try. I love that people are showing up to discover that there is more than Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Merlot.

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.

Oxlee Graham Wines

3360 Coffey Ln, Suite E, Santa Rosa, CA 95403 oxleegrahamwines.com Region: Sonoma County and Mendocino County Owner: Jennie Murphy Winemaker: Jennie Murphy About: Born from our passion for crafting unique wines with authentic stories, the OG wines embody elegance and creativity. Genuine varietal expression in our wines comes from minimal intervention in the cellar and a great focus on detail. What is your favorite undiscovered grape? My Chenin Blanc/Picpoul Blanc blend. It was such a happy accident blending these two the first year I made this wine and it was clear they were meant to be together – it was pure magic! What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? I got to work with Petit Verdot in my previous role and spent time really learning about how to handle this varietal in a delicate way to bring out her prettier side – this made me fall in love with all the layers. Learning how a wine wants to be made rather than making it in the “traditional” way was really eye opening – when I started my own brand I knew I had to capture it in bottle. What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? I love having people discover them – it can be so exciting when someone sees how special these lesser known varietals are for the first time.