Where is Rajat (Raj) Parr? Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with this wine industry legend, in the tasting room at Stolo Vineyards, located three miles from the Pacific Ocean, in Cambria, California. I’ve always been captivated by Parr’s career, one that includes roles as sommelier, winemaker, farmer, wine consultant and co-author of two highly regarded books. In fact, Secrets of the Sommeliers, written with Jordan MacKay, received the 2011 James Beard Cookbook Award-Beverage Category. Based on our conversation, I’m even more intrigued.
Our chat centered around Raj’s current endeavors, what enticed him to settle in California’s central coast, thoughts about the just-established SLO Coast AVA, his philosophy regarding grape growing and winemaking and his role as winemaker at Stolo Vineyards where all wines are estate grown.
Photo Credit: James Beard Awards
Raj Parr On the Central Coast
Before the Covid pandemic, Raj Parr traveled over 200 days per year. Now he’s settled on the Central Coast of California, his home base for a plethora of endeavors. With three wineries (Evening Land, Sandhi and Domaine de la Côte), a vineyard project at Phelan Farm in San Simeon and positions as a winery consultant, this humble icon of the wine industry is kept challenged and extremely busy. At Stolo Vineyards, he’s “here every day. I want to be as hands-on as much as possible – from pruning to picking, I want to be here from the beginning to the end of the seasons.”
Photo Credit: Stolo Vineyards
Raj Parr’s philosophy is to “capture the essence of the wine from the vineyard to the bottle.” However, the “winemaker dictates the style and that differs in who that person is.” Interestingly enough, his passion is to be with the vines he’s growing himself. He has a particular affinity to obscure French-inspired varieties such as those from cool climate regions such as the Jura and Savoie and varieties including Poussard and Mondeuse. Because the SLO Coast AVA has a cool summer, these varieties flourish. “This is an area for extreme coastal vineyards due to the impact of the ocean. When you go one to two miles inland, the type of varieties that thrive are different.”
Of all places to live, this world traveler chose to live on the Central Coast. Why? “I never knew Cambria existed until those at Phelan Farm, a boutique winery with a natural farming model whereby permaculture and biodynamics are paramount, had grapes to sell. When I visited the farm, it wasn’t what I thought! This is crazy so I asked the owners if they’d allow me to plant other varieties here. They said yes.” Cue Raj’s vineyard project at Phelan Farm where among 12 leased acres he cultivates Poussard, Mondeuse, Gamay, Mencia, Trousseau, Savignin and others. Minimal intervention and maintaining the natural farming model are of utmost importance.
“Between here at Stolo and Phelan, the climate is like day and night. As the crow flies, it’s less than a mile. But here at Stolo, it’s sunnier so Syrah is cultivated. At Phelan, it’s a stretch for Syrah to ripen because it’s a wide canyon instead of narrow. In fact, we pick Mondeuse at Phelan the same day we pick Syrah at Stolo.”
On Winemaking at Stolo Vineyards and Its Wines
My goal at Stolo Vineyards is to “maintain the vineyards, yet try to do better and transfer that concept to the production itself. There’s a certain style of wine here and I don’t want to disturb that so there won’t be dramatic changes. Wines are precise and fresh. We use 100% whole cluster fermentation and natural yeasts. No sulfites are added and reds aren’t fined or filtered.” Raj continued. “My philosophy is to use no herbicides and take care of the land. Sylistically, the wines at Stolo are in line with what I believe.”
There is no new oak used in Stolo’s Syrah and in the Pinot Noir, less than 10%. The Creekside Chardonnay has no oak and the new release of the Hillside Chardonnay has about 30% oak, although “we’ll change the oak program next year – we have a cooper from Austria.”
Of note, is that Raj and the team produced the wines from both Creekside and Hillside Vineyards in the same manner. “You really see how the wines shine – from the different vintage years from two different places. There really are dramatic differences.”
Asked about go-to wine and food pairings, Raj explained that “there are certain things I focus on that are important, but it’s no religion.” For example, complementing Stolo’s bright and refreshing 2021 Sauvignon Blanc, he suggested “fresh salads, soft cheeses and oysters. This wine is Loire Valley in style and its inspiration is definitely Sancerre.” A luscious anytime wine with snappy acidity, I found aromas of lemon, mango and pears and a balanced palate of honeysuckle, citrus, sweet spice and chalk with a lingering finish.
Our final wine was a balanced, refreshing 2021 Rosé of Pinot Noir. Aromas of just-picked strawberries, juicy watermelon, crushed raspberries and oranges were intense. On the palate, acidity and minerality were the foundation on which notes of cherries, tangerine, roses and luscious cherries were found.
When I asked about the first wine he tasted that could be considered his “epiphany wine”, Raj Parr had an answer at-the-ready: Chablis from Domaine Raveneau 1986 Les Clos. Knowing of his penchant for French wines, I wasn’t surprised. Written in the book Secrets of the Sommeliers, Parr referred to that Chablis. “In its complexity and fusion of power and elegance, it does remind me of some of the greater expressions of Montrachet, but it is even finer and more elegant. It actually has more vibrance and elegance than any Montrachet of a similar age and to this day it is still more alive. That is the power of Chablis.”
Complex, expressive, elegant. Such is the power of Raj Parr.
Cheers! ~ Cindy
