Winery History
Founded in 2003, Piedrasassi was formed with the goal of producing compelling cool climate Syrah from Santa Barbara County. Owners Sashi Moorman and Melissa Sorongon have extremely eclectic tastes in wine – and it shows in their products, which ranges from their signature Syrahs made with native yeasts and low sulphur, through richly-textured Sauvignon Blanc created by extended skin contact during fermentation, to fresh, juicy and lively Sangiovese vinified in whole berry clusters.
Writing for Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, Jeb Dunnuck describes the range from Piedrasassi as “serious wines that merit attention,” – no wonder, since Piedrasassi’s wines offer a fascinating blend of turbo-charged fruit and classical (almost European-style) structure. The common thread is authenticity – wines that represent a time and place – honest wines made with great love and care by an extremely passionate group of people.
Viticulture/Winemaking Style
The Piedrasassi wines are cultivated in the transverse valleys of Santa Barbara County. In the vineyard, the team picks a bit earlier than their local Santa Barbara County colleagues to keep the alcohol levels in balance with flavor and to preserve the natural acidity of the fruit. Sashi also uses some whole-cluster inclusion, only indigenous yeast fermentation, and no sulfur added at fermentation, remaining as natural as possible without compromising the integrity, flavour, and stability of the wine.
Grape Varieties
Syrah
Fun Fact
Sashi and Melissa also own a bakery where they freshly mill American heritage grains for naturally-leavened loaves that they sell weekly at the Santa Barbara farmer's market.
