So I had business up in Mendocino last week, but managed to sneak in and see a couple of my favorite wine producers in the entire state of California. I thought you should know who these guys are, because they are young, they are talented, and their wines are off the hook now, and getting better.


Andy Peay

First up is man-about-town Andy Peay (who has been described in 7x7 as a “wine hipster intellectual”). He makes wine with his brother and sister-in-law up on the Sonoma Coast. I visited him and tasted his ‘06s from the barrel, and they are magnificent. The last vintage was also good, but I'm really liking the balance and depth of the wines from 2006. You can usually scare up Peay vineyards at the Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant and off of any good wine list in town. Recently I had the 2003 Marsanne/Roussanne for a reasonable price at Michael Mina and enjoyed it very much. Andy's wines are also at places like Quince, A16, Bacar, etc.


Wells Guthrie and John Raytek

Next up, the ever-cool Wells Guthrie (left) and his assistant John Raytek. Wells' brand is called Copain, and he's been putting out great Pinots and Syrahs, mostly, for several years. He gets his fruit from all over the state, but has concentrated on the Anderson Valley for Pinot.

Again, a sneak peak: His 2006 Pinots are going to shake up the industry. They are some of the most promising wines from the state of California that I have tasted in a long time. I couldn't be more excited for Wells, whose wines appear at the California Wine Merchant and at Michael Mina, whose wine list devotes a whole page to Copain.