These wines are extremely limited
There’s only so much to spare of these wines as most of their case production is allocated to the current or upcoming Wine Club, so be sure to act fast.

Hello Everyone:

We hope that Spring is off to a good start for all of you.  Here at Dragonette Cellars, we have finished all the 2025 bottling (whew!) and the Spring Wine Club shipping (hooray!)  The Santa Ynez Valley winegrowing season has kicked off with a fairly typical budbreak, and now we are enjoying coolish, windy weather and even a little rain. More of our “refrigerated sunshine” is coming soon as the growing season takes off. We are hopeful, as always, for reasonable yields of very high quality grapes. Up next, shoot thinning and positioning, which are critical to yield, disease resistance, and quality.  

We now turn to some new wines that are ready for release. 

First up is the newest version of our long time favorite, the Rosé. A Provençal-style dry Rosé of Grenache and Mourvèdre, the 2024 version is crisp, and lingering and just plain delicious. Perfect as the days heat up as Spring progresses.
 
In addition to the Rosé, we are releasing two of our three 2023 single vineyard Sauvignon Blancs, the Grassini Family Vineyard and the Grimm’s Bluff Vineyard! 2023 was an exceptional vintage for Sauvignon Blanc (as demonstrated by the Happy Canyon Blend that is almost sold out). These two wines are wildly different wines though they are grown only a few hundred yards from each other. We are already loving both of these wines for their power and concentration, married to vibrant acidity.  

Next up are the 2023 appellation blends of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It is no secret that Sta. Rita Hills is a perfect place to grow beautiful, expressive, concentrated Pinot Noir, but increasingly we are finding a unique and fascinating expression of Chardonnay from the SRH as well. In both cases, we are sourcing fruit from cooler, far western vineyards that give incredible flavor development while retaining acidity and focus. The 2023 versions of these wines are indeed very special. 

We hope you will enjoy these new wines. We loved making them for you.

2024 Rosé, Santa Ynez Valley 
 
A blend of 80% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre from Vogelzang (80%) and Two Wolves (20%), the wine was fermented and aged on its lees for 5 months in 80% neutral barrels (228L, 400L, 500L) and 20% stainless steel. The wine shows expressive bright red fruits, (strawberries & raspberries) along with watermelon jolly rancher, citrus peel and super bright acidity. The wine will pair beautifully with warm spring and summer months, all sorts of appetizers and lighter main dishes, and it will undoubtedly bring lots of smiles.

2023 Sauvignon Blanc, Grassini Family Vineyard, Happy Canyon (Wine Club Wine, Fall 2025)
 
2023 was an excellent year in Happy Canyon. A big rain year was followed by a cool spring and summer without serious heat spikes. We picked in early to mid-September under ideal conditions and with fairly good yields as well.  As is typical for Grassini, the wine was barrel fermented and then topped up and aged on its lees for 15 months in 100% French oak (228L, 300L), 8 percent new. 

Always showing spectacularly right out of the gate, the 2023 Grassini is already singing. Aromas of kiwi fruit, honeydew, fresh coconut and marzipan turn to riveting flavors of melons, tropical fruits, lime zest and hints of brioche which are held aloft by sparkling fresh, round acidity. The wine finishes expressive and long. It would be great with shellfish, soft goat cheeses and even Thai food (not too spicy).

Extremely Limited – Only 225 Cases Produced. Join the Wine Club to secure access. 

2023 Sauvignon Blanc, Grimm’s Bluff Vineyard, Happy Canyon

Grimm’s was excellent in 2023, with good rain allowing for solid growth and yields on the lower side (but better than prior years). Grapes were picked early September and fermented and aged in 80% French oak (18% new) (276L cigars, 228L barriques) and 20% Stainless Steel.  

Grimm’s small vines yield incredible taut and intense fruit, with extraordinary concentration. River rock below the surface infuses the wine with a more graphite style of intense minerality. In the mouth the wine is voluptuous but measured by incredibly intense acidity. The wine simply sticks to the palate, enveloping the taster with waves of fruit, minerals and flowers. A 2018 version of this wine tasted recently was utterly spellbinding, and we think this too will age for 10-15 years easily.  Extremely Limited. Only 150 Cases Produced. 

2023 Chardonnay, Sta. Rita Hills 

After a hiatus in 2022, we are back to making a SRH blend of Chardonnays.  If 2023 was cool for Sauvignon Blanc in Happy Canyon, it was downright cold in the Sta Rita Hills, with our Chardonnays being picked into the middle of October. This wine is blended from 55% 10Ninths Vineyard (formerly Hilliard-Bruce), 30% Rita’s Crown and 15% Radian Vineyard. The wine was aged in 100% French oak barrels (15% new) for 15 months before bottling.

We love to blend Chardonnays from various sites to increase complexity, and this is a perfect example of creating complexity from disparate sources.10Ninths provides open-knit flavors and textures from a very cool site, while Rita’s crown provides tropical flair and power, and Radian provides incisive acidity, and extraordinary length. This wine is extremely limited, with production under 175 cases produced. It will not last.   

2023 Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills 

A longtime favorite, the 2023 SRH Pinot Noir combines wines from a “who’s who” of the most famous vineyards in our region. This wine comes from: Fiddlestix (42%), Radian (15%), La Rinconada (15%), Bentrock (8%), 10ninths (7%), Sanford & Benedict (5%), Spear (5%), and Rancho La Vina (3%). The very cool 2023 produced a superb SRH blend with grapes being picked over a remarkable 5-week period from Early September to Mid-October. Temperatures throughout the late summer and early Fall were moderate, and ripeness gained gradually until the last lots could be picked at Radian on October 12.  

The deliberate inclusion of 20 separate blocks (9 distinct clones) at 8 vineyards is intended to create great complexity in the final blend, which we think is accomplished here. The wine shows wildly different berries (cranberries, strawberries, raspberries, loganberries) and red and black cherries, along with rhubarb, cola, and a panoply of baking spices (nutmeg, cardamom, cloves) and floral notes such as red rose and blood orange. The medium bodied wine has a silky texture and great length buoyed by great acidity and present tannins.  The most approachable of our Pinot Noirs, the SRH will drink well right out of the gate, improve for 5-7 years and last another 8 after that at least. 

Finally, Spring is a fantastic time to head up, or down, or over to Los Olivos and/or Buellton.  Come see us in wine country paradise!