Valdiguié (aka 'Napa Gamay') has become somewhat of a California heritage grape, but is still relatively rare to find. It was planted in the 90s at Shell Creek, which is one of the oldest established vineyards in SLO County. This remote site in the Paso Robles Highlands District sits beneath limestone cliffs and features marine fossils in the soils after which the vineyard was named. It is farmed by the sixth-generation Sinton family.

Valdiguié features large clusters and berries, ripens at low alcohols, and maintains incredible acidity, which together make it a great candidate for carbonic maceration.

As such, we ferment this wine 100% carbonic—leaving the whole clusters undisturbed for a full 10 days before pressing. The result is a bright, light, juicy, quenching wine. We recommend serving it with a slight chill.

Tasting notes: watermelon jolly rancher, fresh cherries, rhubarb, and macerated strawberries

organic / native yeast / unfined / unfiltered

Outward Wines is a partnership between Natalie Siddique and Ryan Pace.

We are focused on producing small-lot, site-specific wines that collectively showcase the diversity of terroir across California's Central Coast. 

We are currently farming approximately six acres of vines across several sites on the San Luis Obispo Coast and the Santa Ynez Valley. Outside of the grapes we farm ourselves, we source from other thoughtfully farmed, coastal-influenced vineyards that span the Central Coast, including sites in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, and San Benito counties. All of the vineyards that we work with are farmed organically at minimum and are located in close proximity to the cold Pacific Ocean.

In the cellar we strive to minimize inputs throughout the winemaking process in order to allow for a clear picture of what the site can provide naturally, and to give the wine a true sense of time and place. To that end, we utilize native yeast to carry out fermentations, age exclusively in old French oak barrels, and bottle without fining or filtration. 

While we do our best to allow the wines to speak for themselves, we also recognize the role and impact of the human element in terroir. Our hands and our decisions are reflected in the wines that we produce, so it is not only an expression of site, but it is our expression of site.

Our winemaking approach is informed by the places we have travelled, the background and experience we have in the wine industry, the wines we have enjoyed and been inspired by, the food we prepare and consume, and the friends and mentors that we consult. All winemaking dogma aside, at the end of the day our goal for these wines is for them to be delicious and to provide pleasure to the end consumer.