2025 Scar of the Sea Bassi Vineyard Coferment

One of the Most Interesting California Wines We Have Tasted Lately

A true coferment of Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir | Grown just 1.2 miles from the Pacific | Bright, salty, and full of coastal character | Different without being difficult | Only 168 cases made

We are always excited when a wine comes through the shop that is difficult to compare to anything else. This is one of those bottles.

Scar of the Sea makes it from Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir grown at Bassi Vineyard, perched on a sandstone ridge just 1.2 miles from the Pacific. Its steep slopes, morning fog, and constant ocean winds make this an exceptionally cool growing site. That coastal character runs through every sip.

This wine is a coferment, meaning the two grapes were fermented together rather than made separately and blended later. Whole clusters of Pinot Gris went into the ferment first, with destemmed Pinot Noir layered directly on top. After fermentation, everything was gently pressed in a wooden basket press and aged for eight months in old French oak.

The result is not quite a red, white, or rosé. It borrows something from all three. Wild strawberry and blood orange meet pear skin and sea salt, with a fine, slightly sandy texture that brings the vineyard’s sandstone soils to mind.

The real reason we are recommending it is simple. It is delicious, unusual, and extremely easy to share. It is the kind of bottle you bring to dinner when you want everyone to stop for a second and ask, “Wait, what is this?”

Only seven barrels were made, totaling 168 cases. It is a small snapshot of one vineyard, one harvest, and one wonderfully unconventional idea.

If you have been looking for something genuinely different but not difficult, this is the bottle.