Our Producers
OLG
OLG is Dave Phinney’s estate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, grown on his Our Lady of Guadalupe vineyard at the windy western edge of the Sta. Rita Hills. This ocean-facing vineyard produces some of the deepest and darkest expressions of Pinot Noir in the county.
Dave Phinney does it again, redefining himself and the Sta. Rita Hills by creating one of the AVA’s most sought-after vineyards, one that captures the power of the Pacific Ocean to create deep, complex and layered wines.
OLG stands for Our Lady of Guadalupe, the vineyard named by its creator, Dave Phinney of Napa Valley fame. While he may still be better known for his Prisoner and Orin Swift brands (both since sold), he’s working hard to change that with his OLG estate wines in the Sta. Rita Hills. We call this new period in his life “Dave Phinney 3.0,” the first time Dave has owned and farmed the vineyards he bottles and cellars!
Raised in California by well-studied educator parents, Dave was inspired by academia and trips abroad to see the world, and even to mold it in his own boundary-less image. That he would apply those traits to a career in wine was pure luck. He began university intending to practice law, but a fateful trip to Italy with a college friend sparked an interest in wine he couldn’t shake. Side projects in agriculture back at the University of Arizona turned into a passion, which he followed to Napa Valley and the Robert Mondavi Winery in 1997. He started at the bottom of the totem pole, cleaning the cellar alongside Hispanic co-workers who at first didn’t think this “gringo” would pull his weight. Dave proved them wrong, and he’s stayed close friends with several of them to this day. Those friendships took him to Mexico several times, where the symbol of unity in Our Lady of Guadalupe touched him profoundly. As he says, “I have the largest collection of Our Lady of Guadalupe paraphernalia for a 50ish-year-old white guy.”
THE VINEYARDS
Not to be confused with Valle de Guadalupe in Mexico or the town of Guadalupe on the Central Coast, this vineyard sits firmly in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. In fact, it’s become one of the most sought-after vineyards among winemakers looking for quality grapes from a sustainably farmed site. On the windiest, western edge of the AVA, 128 acres are planted to Pinot Noir, half of which Dave keeps for his own bottlings while selling the rest to other local winemakers. All 8 acres of Chardonnay go into his ultra-premium OLG Chardonnay. When Dave bought the land in 2015, he and his team spent three years rebuilding the soil with organic materials, building a reverse osmosis water treatment facility to lower chloride levels in the water, and planting avocado trees to help break the heavy winds.
WHAT'S IN THE
GLASS
This is “Dave Phinney 3.0.” His once-hedonistic style has been tamed by the cold, windy climate of the Sta. Rita Hills. It’s a perfect match for these high-acid grapes, and together they produce a Pinot Noir with both red and purple fruit alongside a uniquely deep, brooding layer of fine tannins and a full-bodied palate.
VISIT
The Estate Pinot Noir can often be tasted on our Reserve Flight, but “Reserve” Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines are sometimes available too. Check back to see when Dave Phinney himself will be in our room to share these wines with you.
