Scar of the Sea was kick-started by Mikey Giugni in 2012, with the focus of celebrating the Santa Maria Valley through Pinot and Chardonnay. They are clearly inspired by the influence of the Pacific Ocean... Read More

Scar of the Sea was kick-started by Mikey Giugni in 2012, with the focus of celebrating the Santa Maria Valley through Pinot and Chardonnay. They are clearly inspired by the influence of the Pacific Ocean and how it affects the climate, the soils, and the geology of these coastal vineyards that fall under the spell of fog each day.

Mikey might not physically own his own vines, but he works closely with like-minded growers that practice organic or biodynamic farming as a minimum. There are some amazing sites in his range, including parcels of old vines like Bien Nacido and Ontivero. Over the years he has spread his wings and now makes winform from throughout central California and as far south as the Cucamonga valley.

He operates his winery out of a small warehouse in San Luis Obispo, and makes wines with as little intervention as possible, using native yeast fermentations, mostly neutral oak barrels, no fining and rarely filtering, with just a responsible amount of SO2 used throughout the wine's life. It's a mostly one man operation but he gets help from his wife Gina, who happens to make her own mind blowing wines under Lady of the Sunshine.

For Mikey, his wines are a way to tell a story of where they come from, the people who farm them, and to reflect each vintage as honestly as possible. His wines are elegant and terroir true and they have California's unique ability to produce wines that are immediately delicious while remaining nuanced and dynamic. Mikey and his wines are getting the recognition they deserve and are loved both by critics and an ever growing, devoted fan base.