Our Producers
Chanin
Gavin Chanin is the winemaker behind his namesake's label for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, sourced from organically and sustainably farmed vineyards in the Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Maria Valley and Los Alamos, including the region’s most famous vineyards: Bien Nacido, Zotovich and Sanford & Benedict.
Gavin Chanin’s wines defy age and place. They are so balanced and nuanced that you’d expect them to be made by a much older vigneron, yet they show the exuberance and passion of one of California’s great young stars.
Gavin Chanin was exposed to the Santa Barbara wine community at an early age. His father worked in the vineyards of Zaca Mesa, back when it was emerging as “Zaca University,” the training ground for most of the region’s pioneering winemakers, including Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat, Bob Lindquist of Qupé, Ken Brown of Byron and Adam Tolmach of Ojai Vineyard. While attending UCLA, Gavin escaped the city to work two harvests, and after graduating he realized wine was his true calling, and that his art studies could live on as the label artwork for each of his releases.
In 2007, Gavin officially started Chanin Wines with three barrels of Chardonnay from Los Alamos Vineyard. His winemaking philosophy is built on picking early to keep the acidity of his wines fresh and lively, then aging them longer to soften and integrate those sharper notes, making his wines remarkably bright and taut, yet rich and textured. He won early acclaim from Forbes as a “30 under 30” winemaker when he was just 25, and the accolades over the 15 years since have been consistently remarkable.
THE VINEYARDS
Gavin sources his grapes from organically or sustainably farmed vineyards in the Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Maria and Los Alamos, with a focus on old vines such as Bien Nacido, the first vineyard planted in Santa Maria, and Sanford & Benedict, the first planted in the Sta. Rita Hills. That’s not to say he won’t explore up-and-coming sites. In 2021, Gavin was one of a handful of winemakers who saw potential in an overgrown Santa Maria vineyard aptly named Wild King, and he produced a uniquely delicate yet brambly Pinot Noir that hasn’t been replicated since.
WHAT'S IN THE
GLASS
Influenced by his love of Old World wines, Gavin Chanin’s wines focus on purity over richness. Picking early and aging longer results in fresh, elegant wines with beautiful complexity, lower alcohol levels and a light finesse.
VISIT
As one of the local producers known for low alcohol and highly ethereal wines, you’ll often find a bottle of Gavin’s Pinot Noir or Chardonnay on our Reserve Flight. And once a year, typically in the Spring, he also takes over our tasting room to share his latest releases with our customers.
