Phelan Farm encompasses the lessons of a life in wine and the vision of a vineyard intertwined with nature. Here at the extreme edge of a continent, the cooling grasp of the Pacific shapes our philosophy and sharpens our intent. We seek a future where wine is a gift to the earth, as well as to humankind. We strive humbly to inspire, as we have been inspired. Our story begins over 100 years ago when The Phelan family homestead in Cambria in 1851 just after California became a state. Greg Phelan planted the first grapes on the property in 2007, choosing to grow Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on their own roots in four different vineyards located around the farm. Ten years later, a chance meeting between Rajat Parr and Greg Phelan led to a new chapter for the vineyards of Phelan Farm. The farming philosophy at Phelan Farms is rooted in preserving and expressing our unique site’s natural state. Through observation and by treating the land with love and respect we ensure that our vines thrive in tandem with the diverse species of microbes, plants, and animals that compose the ecosystem. To best achieve this, we’ve created our own natural farming model, a synthesis of techniques gleaned from several schools of agricultural thought—including permaculture and biodynamics—and the teachings of innovators who inspire us, such as Masanobu Fukuoka and Dr. Elaine Ingham Our winemaking philosophy is very simple. Add nothing and remove nothing. All wines are made with natural yeast. The wines do not see any addition of sulfur during fermentation. A minuscule amount of sulfur is added to some of the wines at bottling. Most wines are made with 100% whole bunches. The wines are aged in mostly old oak barrels of all sizes. The wines are hand bottled without any fining or filtration. At Phelan Farm, we believe that great wines are born in the vineyard, not assembled in the cellar. We strive to work in collaboration with the diverse species of microbes, plants, and animals on the farm to build the healthiest soil possible. This allows us to limit interventions during vinification. We use a mixed farming approach inspired by permaculture, biodynamics, and regenerative agriculture in our pursuit of healthier soil. This approach includes several holistic measures that draw on the natural vitality of the vineyard and its surroundings. We use compost brewed from the skins of our grapes and the manure from our animals who graze the vineyard to boost microbial life in the soil. To support the immune systems of the vines, we rely on fermented treatments made from an array of native plants (nettles, lupins, horsetail, willow bark) and other local ingredients including honey from our local bee colony, kelp, seaweed, Pacific Ocean water, and fish bone emulsion powder among others. We follow a no-till philosophy to avoid disturbing the complex fungal network under the surface and to sequester carbon in the soil. We avoid spraying sulfur and copper in the vineyard to ensure that we do not harm the earthworms and insects who are essential partners in our ecosystem. Winemaking After harvesting all the grapes by hand using low-impact four-wheelers for transport, most of the wines from the 2021 vintage were fermented whole-cluster in stainless steel with indigenous yeast before being transferred to neutral oak barrels for elevage. The wines were then racked off lees and immediately bottled by gravity with no SO2 additions, no filtration, and no fining. Bottling dates were determined according to the lunar calendar to harness the force of the moon to ensure the lees were as settled as possible.