2027 Wineries

Lava Cap Winery

2221 Fruitridge Rd., Placerville, CA 95667
lavacap.com

Region: El Dorado

Owner: Charlie & Noreen Jones

Winemaker: Nolan Jones

About: Lava Cap is a third-generation family farm located in Placerville, high in the Sierra Nevada foothills at an elevation of 2700 feet. Our estate mountain-grown grapes are sourced from some of the highest vineyards in California. Our unique volcanic soils, weathered from ancient ash flows, produce wines that are intensely aromatic and luscious with deep, rich fruit erupting with flavor.

What is your favorite undiscovered grape? Barbera! Great acid, bright flavors, food friendly.

What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? Planting and working with undiscovered grapes is part of the DNA of El Dorado winegrowers. Rather than being centered on a single “signature” variety, our region is still actively exploring its possibilities. Every time we plant a new grape, we’re asking how it will respond to our volcanic soils, our 3,000-foot elevations, and our steep slopes. It’s an ongoing search for the varieties that not only thrive here but that truly come alive in our mountain terroir.

You can experience that spirit of discovery in Lava Cap’s tasting room, and throughout the region. Instead of focusing on just one grape, guests are invited to explore wines from a wide range of varieties. It makes tasting here an adventure—you’re experiencing a kaleidoscope of expressions, from crisp Grenache Blanc to vibrant Barbera to mountain-grown Viognier. That sense of exploration and diversity is what makes El Dorado so distinctive, and it’s why planting undiscovered grapes has always been central to who we are.

What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? What I love most is the sense of possibility. With undiscovered or lesser-known grapes, you’re not bound by consumer expectations or rigid tradition—you get to let the vineyard and terroir tell the story. In El Dorado, our volcanic soils and high elevation create natural tension, acidity, and aromatics in wines, which means these “undiscovered” grapes often shine in ways people don’t expect. Sharing them with guests is a chance to taste something authentic, distinctive, and new. 

Lyons Vineyard

3564 Sagunto St., Suite 302 Santa Ynez CA 93460
www.lyonsvineyard.com

Region: Santa Barbara County

Owners: Skye Lyons & Sarah Lyons

Winemakers: Ryan Carr with Skye & Sarah Lyons

About: Located in the Los Olivos District AVA, in the heart of Santa Barbara wine country, Lyons Vineyard is a small family-run vineyard founded in 2017 with a focus on Rhône varietals. After years of growing Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Viognier for some of Santa Barbara’s top winemakers, we launched our own label in 2022. We make limited-production, small-batch wines that let the fruit and the land shine through. Our signature style is balance; wines with depth and interest that still hold their freshness and acidity. We love to showcase our two Grenache clones side by side, showing just how different the same varietal can be. We also bottle 100% Mourvèdre and love comparing vintages to show the influence of Mother Nature from year to year. We love how tasting these comparisons can spark curiosity, open up conversations, and remind us that wine is at its best when it’s bringing people together!

What is your favorite undiscovered grape? We LOVE Grenache! It can be incredibly elegant yet with layers of flavor. We always try to introduce Pinot Noir lovers to lighter-style Grenache because we think it’s a great gateway to new varieties; more people should discover it!

What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? We have wonderful memories traveling to Tuscany with Skye’s late father (Stephen Lyons, to whom our vineyard name is a tribute) when we were much younger in our wine journey. We were hopping from one little town to the next to try the local food and wine. One of our favorites was a white wine, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, produced from the ancient variety of the Vernaccia grape grown on the sandstone hillsides of the area. The wine was inexpensive yet expressive and full of character!

What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? We love to show our friends how wonderful these grapes can be! Providing so many more options for different moods, food pairings, gatherings with friends or just a random Tuesday night. We believe part of the fun of being on a wine journey is learning and tasting! What better homework is there than that?

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.

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.