Our Veteran Wine Guru Uncorks Her Favorite Bottles by Small, Family-Owned California Wineries

Ah, yes … the holiday rush, which now seems to extend deeply into August as Christmas decorations arrive at Costco well ahead of Labor Day. I’m not a huge fan of Spirit Halloween merging with Santa, to be honest, but at the very least you can get ahead on your wine shopping when you order directly from the good folks who make the juice. 

Below are some recent discoveries worth championing, each of which is made by a California family that could use your support in difficult economic times. Stop buying bulk wines and order a few of these beauties to stock up for whatever the holiday season may throw at you.  

Inman Family Brut Rosé, Olivet Grange Vineyard Estate (Russian River Valley, 2023)

I’ve been a huge fan of Kathleen Inman the winery in addition to Kathleen Inman the person over the years; she’s proof positive that the best wines, in fact, do come from high-quality humans. Here, their OGV Estate vineyard showcases again that you don’t need to buy Champagne to experience why pinot noir can be so transcendent when incorporated into a rosé bubbly. Beautiful notes of guava, passion fruit and white flowers with a pleasingly zippy mouth texture. Gift this to the boss who thinks she knows all about wine because she drinks La Marca prosecco. Help her upgrade to a better bubbly experience made right here in California.

SRP $80  |  inmanfamilywines.com

Loubud Sauvignon Blanc, Happy Canyon (Santa Barbara, 2024)

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Laura Hughes’ day job is already daunting as the winemaker for Sanford—a legacy brand with large-scale productions to manage and monitor. She nevertheless found time to launch her passion project, Loubud Wines, in 2015 with husband Paul. Laura and Paul recently opened a tasting room in downtown Santa Barbara, where you can sip her lineup of handcrafted wines while checking out Paul’s puzzles. (His métier is creating exquisite hand-cut, wooden puzzles out of artworks, and his stuff is super, super cool.) I love Laura’s sauvignon blanc, which offers bright, refreshing citrus notes with lots of soil inflection that reflect the aptly named AVA where it is grown: Happy Canyon. It’s late, you’re behind on gift wrapping, the kids are asleep, the tape dispenser and the ribbon are ready. Pour yourself a nice glass of this delicious sauvignon blanc and get to work. You deserve it.

SRP $34  |  loubudwines.com

Deovlet Pinot Noir, La Encantada Vineyard (Sta. Rita Hills, 2023)

It’s always exciting to see how a vineyard you know is expressed via different winemakers. La Encantada is one of my favorite places for pinot noir in the coolish Santa Rita Hills appellation, but I’d never tasted Ryan Deovlet’s work with its fruit. So, so good. And yet another amazing family to get behind. Ryan moved his young tribe to Los Osos, near San Luis Obispo, where he also champions cool-climate productions from lesser-known areas. An absolutely perfect California afternoon would be visiting his tasting room in Baywood to collect your picnic wine for a hike through nearby Montaña de Oro State Park. This gorgeous pinot is a master class in balancing fruit and texture. Dark berry aromatics with some beautiful herby, green edges converge into a silky-soft pinot palate. Order a few bottles of this for your big holiday feast. It’s one of my favorite pinots tasted in recent years.

SRP $65  |  deovletwines.com

Benessere Aglianico, Estate (St. Helena, Napa, 2022)

If California has a European kinsman, it’s Italy. Both have a breadth of microclimates that are the envy of other states and countries, and each can successfully grow an incredible diversity of grapes. Years ago, I discovered and poured Benessere’s pinot grigio by the glass at Spago, because I was blown away by the quality and depth of the wine. Here, this powerhouse Napa producer has produced what I think is the only domestic aglianico I’ve ever tasted, and it is extraordinary. Aglianico thrives in Italy’s volcanic soils, and it is an ancient and tannic wine that rewards patient cellaring. Grown by Benessere (“the good life”) in Napa, it is here softened and rounder—a more approachable version that is utterly delicious. Notes of cassis, schist and black shells on the nose with a firm structure that will delight cab drinkers looking to expand their horizons. Pay the corkage fee and take this wine back to Spago for me! Seriously, this wine is worthy of a big-ticket dinner and would be a great choice to take with you for a special restaurant meal at any point in the season.

SRP $70  |  benesserevineyards.com