SITE

SITE

762 Toro Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
sitewineco.com

Region: Central Coast

Owners: Jeremy Weintraub

Winemaker: Jeremy Weintraub

About: I started SITE to highlight the most important determinant in a glass of component of great wine–the site. I had been making Cabernet Sauvignon almost exclusively while I was winemaker at Seavey Vineyards in Napa Valley, but found myself drinking almost anything but Cabernet when I got home. What I did enjoy were Grenache, Syrah, Roussanne, and Viognier, and I chose three of the most distinctive vineyards in California to source those grapes from. Before Napa, I had worked in Santa Barbara County, in Tuscany on a fellowship at Tignanello/Solaia estate, in Central Otago and Martinborough, NZ, and on Long Island.

What is your favorite undiscovered grape? Roussanne. It has a distinctive mouthfeel that suggests weight even at low alcohol and finishes with a bitter, enchanting finish.

What was your first experience with an undiscovered grape? Gewurztraminer on Long Island as a 20-year-old. I had just fallen in love for the first time, and my girlfriend and I would get a round of fresh chevre and a bottle of gewurztraminer and picnic on one of the small bays on Long Island.

What do you love most about the undiscovered grapes? Love is irrational. Rational winemakers make Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Grigio because they’re easy to sell.