June 2026

“Proprietor Bradley Brown has shown striking resilience in the intervening years since his home burned down in the 2020 wildfires that ripped through the region. The estate vineyard is a steep, dramatic terroir littered with rocky outcroppings and surrounded by forest that imparts the wines with a sense of Santa Cruz Mountains “garrigue.” Winemaker Blake Yarger vinifies the wines with a high percentage of whole clusters and ages them primarily in larger-format, neutral oak. Though Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are always excellent here, the real stars of the show are the Rhône varieties from the estate. Grenache and Syrah are as compelling at Big Basin as they are anywhere in California, with notable purity and precision running through each bottling. Throw a dart, and you’re bound to hit a winner in this lineup. “Santa Cruz Mountains 2023 and 2024: A Rising Tide” by Billy Norris

2021 GRIZZLY GRENACHE (Estate) 97 POINTS
2022 ODEON CABERNET SAUVIGNON & SYRAH 94 POINTS
2022 COASTVIEW VINEYARD “TERRACES” SYRAH 97 POINTS
2022 RATTLESNAKE ROCK SYRAH (Estate) 95 POINTS
2022 SIXTY TWO TERRACES SYRAH (Estate) 94 POINTS
2023 OLD CORRAL PINOT NOIR (Estate) 95 POINTS
2023 RODNICK.FARM PINOT NOIR 94 POINTS
2023 COASTVIEW VINEYARD PINOT NOIR 94 POINTS
2023 LESTER FAMILY VINEYARD PINOT NOIR 93 POINTS
2023 GABILAN MOUNTAIN PINOT NOIR 93 POINTS
2024 GABILAN MOUNTAIN PINOT NOIR 93+ POINTS
2023 KIMARI VINEYARD CHARDONNAY 95 POINTS
2023 EAST TERRACES VIOGNIER (Estate) 93 POINTS
2023 RODNICK.FARM CHENIN BLANC 92 POINTS
2024 RODNICK.FARM CHENIN BLANC 93 POINTS
2024 COASTVIEW VINEYARD CHARDONNAY 93 POINTS
2023 WIRZ VINEYARD OLD VINE OLD VINE CARIGNAN (93-95) POINTS
2022 GABILAN MOUNTAINS GSM 93 POINTS
2022 HOMESTEAD 94 POINTS    
2024 RODNICK.FARM OLD VINE OLD VINE MOURVEDRE 95 POINTS
2024 RODNICK.FARM GRENACHE 93 POINTS
2023 COASTVIEW VINEYARD GRENACHE 90 POINTS
2023 RATTLESNAKE ROCK SYRAH (Estate) 94+ POINTS
2018 ALFARO FAMILY VINEYARD PINOT NOIR 94 POINTS

 

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2021 GRIZZLY GRENACHE (Estate)
The 2021 Grenache Grizzly is flat-out gorgeous. It’s just so finessed and polished. Orange peel, rosewater, crushed red cherries and herbal flourishes unfurl in the glass, but it’s really the texture—oh that texture— that seals the deal. Light in color and medium in build, the 2021 impresses with serious persistence on the finish and a sense of lift that keeps the wine moving upward, upward, upward. I dare say, Château Rayas meets Santa Cruz Mountains Bravo.

2022 ODEON CABERNET SAUVIGNON & SYRAH
The 2022 Odeon is a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon from Betchart and 38% Syrah from Rattlesnake Rock, whereas last year’s edition was 100% Betchart Cabernet. This is the only wine in the range with medium- toast, fire-bent barrels, which comes through in the wine’s toasty, rich, spiced profile. It’s deliciously ripe and rich, saturating the palate with blackberry preserves, mocha, nutmeg and vanilla. A long, dreamy finish wraps things up in style.

2022 COASTVIEW VINEYARD “TERRACES” SYRAH
The 2022 Syrah Coastview Vineyard Terraces has such an intoxicatingly beguiling nose that I don’t even want to pull away to taste the wine. Layers and layers of spices, palo santo, saturating black fruit, irony minerality and cocoa tannins sizzle from the glass with sensual, siren-like draw. The platonic ideal of an iron fist in a velvet glove, the 2022 continues to evolve in the glass, leaving an echo of lifted menthol on the structured, velvety finish. Wow, what complexity and singularity.

2022 RATTLESNAKE ROCK SYRAH (Estate)
The 2022 Syrah Rattlesnake Rock delivers grand weight and body as it smoothes over the palate with impressively pure blue fruit, crushed rocks, light peppery undercurrents and a nip of sweet orange peel on the finish. Ultra-fine tannins grip the precise, polished finish. The 2022 is a wine of exquisite balance and freshness, especially in a hot vintage.

2022 SIXTY-TWO TERRACES SYRAH (Estate)
The 2022 Syrah Sixty-Two Terraces ramps up the density, intensity and power, but there’s a little less vibrancy and energy than the Rattlesnake tasted alongside. Olive, tar, white smoke, blackberry and exotic spice tones elongate the thick, weighty finish. This is a bruiser, but its balance and distinctiveness are beyond reproach.

2023 OLD CORRAL PINOT NOIR (Estate)
The 2023 Pinot Noir Old Corral has a beguiling, intoxicatingly complex nose. There’s such elegance here. Brambly black fruit and deep spice tones are attractively accented by peppery whole-cluster savoriness. The 2023 is tense and slightly reticent on the palate, coiling inward on itself as it starts to shut down in the glass. I consider that a very good sign for the future. Give this a few years, then reap the rewards.

2023 RODNICK.FARM PINOT NOIR
The 2023 Pinot Noir Rodnick.farm is an expressive, caressing wine that speaks quietly but clearly, with great delineation and depth to its layers of red cherry, watermelon, lavender and orange peel. It soaks up the 100% whole clusters with aplomb, reaping all the textural rewards with no stemminess whatsoever. Almost like magic. Light-bodied but clearly articulated, this is a winner through and through.

2023 COASTVIEW VINEYARD PINOT NOIR
The 2023 Pinot Noir Coastview Vineyard is the richest of the 2023 Pinot Noirs here, with a deep core of black cherry fruit, white pepper-like tannin and accents of incense and new leather. Powerful and concentrated yet polished and well manicured, the Coastview delivers real high-elevation character. A bump of mid-palate richness really kicks this up a notch.

2023 LESTER FAMILY VINEYARD PINOT NOIR
The 2023 Pinot Noir Lester Family Vineyard is very aromatic and open- knit, leaning into the savory end of the spectrum with an earthy, garrigue – like bouquet and a fleshy, tart-cranberry-laced mouthfeel. Juicy acids and salty minerality tickle the tongue through the long finish. The 2023 is transparent and light on its feet but totally weightless, deftly integrating its 100% whole clusters. That’s a super-appealing combination in my book.

2023 GABILAN MOUNTAIN PINOT NOIR Not Yet Released
The 2023 Pinot Noir Gabilan Mountains (formerly Dune and Mountain) is in a beautiful spot with a bit more forward fruit and juiciness than the other Gabilan wines.. Aged for 11 months as opposed to 18 for the rest of the range, the 2023 charms from the o!. Crunchy cherry berry fruit, cracked black pepper and savory mineral undertones resonate on the finish. This is one heck of an appellation-level bottling.

2024 GABILAN MOUNTAIN PINOT NOIR Not Yet Released
Explosively aromatic, the 2024 Pinot Noir Gabilan Mountains is a veryyoung wine that will need some time to come together. That said, it’s verypromising. Ultra-fine tannins are very present at the front of the palate, ina way, almost putting up a wall that the rest of the wine struggles to pass.But that said, the 2024 is attractively translucent and savory in its pure strawberry, exotic spice, lavender and orange peel aromas and flavors.Time is on your side here.

2023 KIMARI VINEYARD CHARDONNAY
The 2023 Chardonnay Kimari Vineyard is wound incredibly tight today, but there’s just so much stu!ng beneath the surface. Tense and linear, the 2023 leans into the citrus/mineral end of the spectrum. Chalk, white pepper and lemon zest spray the palate, wrapping up with a taut, focused finish. This needs some time, but it’s full of promise.

2023 EAST TERRACES VIOGNIER (Estate)
The 2023 Viognier East Terraces comes from the estate vineyard. It’s plushand rounded, with tons of lifted floral energy and a real sense of densityon the palate. Fresh and bright, the 2023 delivers layers of white peach,jasmine and salty minerals. The texture is so suave and sophisticated. Thisis a winner, with a long, spicy finish.

2023 RODNICK.FARM CHENIN BLANC
The 2023 Chenin Blanc Rodnick.farm Vineyard is a big step up from the 2022 tasted last year, with this edition eschewing the overtly savory leanings in favor of richer, oilier, more tropical fruit. Aged in a mix of two-thirds concrete egg and one-third barrel, the 2023 impresses with its depth and vibrancy, concluding with a tense, mineral-driven, slightly grippy finish.

2024 RODNICK.FARM CHENIN BLANC Not Yet Released
The 2024 Chenin Blanc Rodnick.Farm Vineyard was done in a combination of two-thirds concrete and one-third neutral barrel. It’s very racy and linear but also attractively tropical, a combination I find wildly appealing. Mango, pineapple and orange peel explode from the glass, leaving behind a wash of slightly viscous, lanolin-like texture on the (surprisingly) steely finish. Distinctive.

2024 COASTVIEW VINEYARD CHARDONNAY
The 2024 Chardonnay Coastview Vineyards is taut and chiseled but also completely saturated and potently concentrated. There’s great focus and freshness here, as well as a measure of phenolic grip that provides a real backbone. Lemon pith, crushed rocks and chamomile explode on the precise finish. So promising

2023 WIRZ VINEYARD OLD VINE OLD VINE CARIGNAN Not Yet Released
The 2023 Carignan Old Vine Wirz Vineyard is fabulous. Crunchy purplefruit and electricity-like acids wrap around a super-fresh, citrusy, liftedpalate. Crunchy and lively, the 2023 impresses with its fruit depth andcounterbalancing acids. Clocking in at only 12.9% alcohol, the 2023 doesn’tlack for anything. It’s a porch-pounder and a serious wine of place, allwrapped into one.

2022 GABILAN MOUNTAINS GSM
The 2022 GSM Gabilan Mountains is 57% Grenache, 32% Syrah and 11% Mourvèdre. Cheerful and open-knit, the 2022 churns out bright red-berry fruit accented by shades of white pepper, blood orange and fine, chalky tannins. A long finish is the icing on the cake. This is very accessible and delicious today. It’s another winner in the Big Basin stable.

2022 HOMESTEAD Not Yet Released
The 2022 Homestead is a blend of 38% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 24% Mourvèdre and 8% Carignane from a mix of estate and purchased fruit across all the sites Big Basin works with. Animal musk, dried flowers, cured meat and fresh raspberry meet with a thick vein of minerality. There’s great textural plushness and balance, as fine yet sneakily grippy tannins take hold on the finish. At only 13% alcohol, this is yet another wine that delivers impressive concentration for its deceptively medium-bodied build.

2024 RODNICK.FARM OLD VINE OLD VINE MOURVEDRE Not Yet Released
Juicy and complex but structured and youthful, the 2024 Mourvèdre Rodnick.Farm Vineyard Old Vine is destined to be a winner once it settles down. It packs so much character and complexity into its juicy, surprisingly lithe frame, but the tannins are fierce today. Game, exotic spice and smoked meat blossom in the glass. The old-vine gravitas is impossible to miss. This is another unqualified success from Bradley Brown and Blake Yarger at Big Basin.

2024 RODNICK.FARM GRENACHE Not Yet Released
The first edition of this as a standalone cuvée for Big Basin, the 2024 Grenache Rodnick.Farm Vineyard is gently peppery and elegantly muscular. Done with 100% whole clusters and aged in one neutral puncheon, it balances transparent aromas of blood orange and rose stem against a nip of white-pepper-like bitterness that really works. This is a very distinctive wine that could use some time to open aromatically, but I like the singularity and sense of identity here.

2023 COASTVIEW VINEYARD GRENACHE Not Yet Released
The 2023 Grenache Coastview Vineyard is bright, chalky and not entirely put together at this stage. It’s brilliantly fresh and loaded with evergreen- like lifted alpine herb scents, but the acids are not quite integrated into the wine’s frame.

2023 RATTLESNAKE ROCK SYRAH (Estate) Not Yet Released
Very old school in bearing, the 2023 Syrah Rattlesnake Rock is red-fruited, cedary and laden with tobacco. It’s delicate and peppery, benefited from a lifted floral top note here and an ultra-fine dusting of powdery tannin. This is pure elegance through and through. More Côte-Rôtie than California.

2018 ALFARO FAMILY VINEYARD PINOT NOIR
The 2018 Pinot Noir Alfaro Family Vineyard is in a gorgeous spot today— plush and pliant yet driven and saline. Floral top notes and spiced red fruit open beautifully with air. It shows great balance as accents of savory/stemmy herbs add complexity on the finish. This should drink well for the next three to five years.

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