Salty Goat’s story began once upon a time in the magical land of Yountville. In 2015 Joe Harden and Phil Holbrook met while playing pickup basketball. Realizing that they had shared passions beyond basketball, most... Read More

Salty Goat’s story began once upon a time in the magical land of Yountville. In 2015 Joe Harden and Phil Holbrook met while playing pickup basketball. Realizing that they had shared passions beyond basketball, most notably winemaking and surfing, the two quickly became thick as thieves. As fate would have it, they spent the next seven harvests crafting wine at not one, but two legendary Napa wineries. Amidst the grapevines of Napa Valley the duo began to cook up what would eventually become Salty Goat.

Even though they were deeply within the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon universe, their hearts could be found along the West Sonoma Coast.They had been beguiled by the wines that come from this rugged landscape, like us believing that this is where some of California's best wines are sourced from. So they set sail on countless adventures exploring the coast until they stumbled upon a vineyard in Fort Ross-Seaview that they immediately knew was the one for them.

Joe and Phil’s make their wine in a style that couldn't be better suited for where they source their fruit. Their vineyards' lofty elevation, its proximity to the ocean, characterized by a cooler climate shine through in every bottle of Salty Goat. Having honed their craft at what is probably the world's best hands on winemaking school, the duo are making wines that are lithe and transparent allowing the terroir and variety to shine. Their wines are complex and thought provoking yet incredibly pleasurable even in their youth, a quality that is a hallmark of Califorinas best.

Even though we trust them implicitly, we didn't just take our winemaker friends word for it. We contracted Salty Goat and they generously sent a sample of each of the wines below, all were a revelation. They share many qualities with our favorites from the area such as Littorai, Peay, Hirsch and Cerritas. But like those they are uniquely their own, a testament to their skill at translating their site's unique terroir.

We were in no way the first to come across these. Honestly it feels like we dropped the ball a bit not discovering these sooner. Pinot was originally the name of the game but they have expanded their range but having honed their skills in Napa they couldn't resist making one of their own and chose to work with a favorite vineyard there. It is every bit as nuanced and elegant as their Pinots.

Whichever wine/s you decide to grab, each one is truly special and are both testament to the talent of the Salty Goat team and the exceptional terroir they come from. We expect these to be the next big thing but like all West Sonoma Coast winemakers, their yields are extremely low so there will never be much. Make sure to get your hands on some while the gettin is still good especially at these prices. Those days are clearly numbered.