Scar of the Sea
About
Mikey Giugni of Scar of the Sea is one of Coeur’s most fundamental producers in California, and we’re proud to have worked with him and his partner in life and work Gina Giugni, of sister label Lady of the Sunshine, since both of their projects’ inceptions.
Scar of the Sea was founded in 2012, but Mikey’s style as a winemaker has gone through deep explorations and many iterations since that beginning. Begun as a négoce project, as almost everything in California, Mikey has migrated from focusing on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir at his beginnings to a much wider swath of vineyard-focused, personally-farmed sites on the Central Coast, now having landed with Gina for a permanent winemaking home in San Luis Obispo. Gina’s label, Lady of the Sunshine, by contrast, was begun in 2017, and since Mikey and Gina have come together as a couple, they are now jointly farming and making their separate wines together, under one roof. The newest development for this duo, however, is a big one: as of 2024, they were able to purchase the exceptional Bassi Vineyard, a 29-acre site in Avila Beach, SLO Coast. Bassi is now their home plot, and it represents a change in their production, going from 80% purchased fruit from friendly, likeminded farmers, to now 80% personally-farmed and estate fruit, 20% purchased. It’s a massive shift for both growers and winemakers, and we’re super excited to see what this will mean for their already-lovely wines.
It's important to mention Mikey and Gina’s farming, in particular, given that Mikey has stated that for many years they’ve been hoping and striving toward moving toward a vigneron model. They’ve understood together that being able to control the farming yourselves on a vineyard site just changes so much the expression of the fruit, what is possible in each site in terms of quality and energy. Plus, Gina was raised on biodynamic vineyards in the Sierra Foothills herself, so she is a rare second-generation biodynamic farmer, and she brings that deep background to what’s done for both the Scar label and her own wines, Lady of the Sunshine.
In general, beyond the farming principles, both the Lady of the Sunshine and the Scar of the Sea wines are produced always following the same practices: native yeast ferments, no additions other than SO2, and no fining or filtration. For both labels, Gina and Mikey are aiming for clear expression of the Pacific, only a mile away from the Bassi vineyard, as well as the climate and specific terroir character of the other unique vineyard sites with which they get to work (Chene, Mountain Meadow, Lopez, etc).
In terms of profile, the wines from Scar of the Sea have a sense of fruit depth, roundness of shape, and forward, immediately notable aromas, whether you’re checking out these versions of Pinot Noir, sparkling wines, or the more striking and wild Zinfandel or Palomino. Meanwhile, the wines of Lady of the Sunshine have a more concentrated, clear-cut, and linear feeling, with a subtlety and density that demand air and time in bottle. Both labels, however, are a testimony to Gina and Mikey’s immense capacity for work and learning, their openness of mind, and hard-earned skills. These are two of the more sincere souls working in California these days, and as their wines continue to evolve, we see worlds of ongoing potential in the heights they’re able to reach.
Products
Pinot Noir Rose Topotero Methode Ancestral
The Topotero Vineyard is located one mile from the Pacific Ocean in Avila Beach and is in its second year of converting to certified Demeter biodynamic farming. The Pinot Noir was picked for natural acidity and foot tread before being whole cluster pressed. The juice was fermented with native yeast in neutral french oak barrels. The wine was bottled at the very end of fermentation to capture the natural bubbles of fermentation in the bottle. The wine aged in bottle on lees for 3 months before being riddled, disgorged, corked and caged, all by hand. 424 cases produced.
Grenache Hofer Vineyard Cucamonga Valley
Hofer Ranch is an oasis wedged between the Ontario Airport and a sea of Industrial buildings. The vineyard was planted in the 1930’s on its own roots in the sandy soils of Cucamonga Valley. The vines are head trained and have been farmed using organic practices from the beginning. This wine is made with a nod to how wines have been made in this region for decades. The grapes were fermented in an old redwood tank with native yeast and no additions. The wine was aged in old french oak barrels for 10 months before being bottled with minimal SO2 and without fining or filtration. 168 cases produced.
Pinot Noir Vino de Los Ranchos Santa Maria Valley
This wine is a blend of younger plantings from the Rancho Ontiveros Vineyard and old vine plantings from the Rancho Vinedo Vineyard, from 1973. Both of these vineyards are farmed using organic farming practices in Santa Maria Valley. The 2023 vintage is a compilation of 3 separate picks, fermented with native yeast and with partial whole cluster. The wine aged for 8 months in old french oak barrels and was bottled with minimal sulfur, without fining or filtration. 1,416 cases produced.
Pinot Noir Bassi Vineyard SLO Coast
The 2023 Bassi Vineyard Pinot Noir is produced from 22 year old Dijon Clone vines, located on the hillsides of Avila Valley, 1 mile from Avila Beach. This bottling is a unique snapshot of coastal California, some of the closest vines to the Pacific Ocean in California that we have been working with since 2019. The fruit was fermented in small 1.5 ton bins, with native yeast and 60% whole cluster. The wine was pressed at dryness in our wooden basket press then aged for 10 months in neutral french oak barrels. This wine was bottled with minimal sulfur and without fining or filtration. 291 cases were produced.
Chardonnay Vino de Los Ranchos Santa Maria Valley
The 2022 vintage of Vino de los Ranchos Chardonnay comes from the old vine plantings from 1973 at the Rancho Vinedo Vineyard and younger vines planted in 2006 at the Rancho Ontiveros Vineyard, both located in Santa Maria Valley. The grapes were farmed using organic farming practices and were picked for natural acidity. The grapes were whole bunch pressed and fermented with native yeast in neutral french oak barrels. The wine aged on lees for 19 months before its first racking for bottling. The wine was bottled with minimal sulfur, unfined and unfiltered. 576 cases produced.
Chardonnay Bassi Vineyard SLO Coast
Certified biodynamic. 100% Chardonnay. This bottling is a unique snapshot of a true coastal vineyard in California, located 1.2 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Scar of the Sea has been working with the Bassi Vineyard since 2019 and in 2024, it became winemakers Gina and Mikey Giugni’s “forever farm.” The Chardonnay is planted on the eastern, south-facing slopes of the property. The 2023 vintage was one of the coolest vintages the duo has yet experienced on the SLO Coast, pushing harvest until the third week of September. The grapes were pressed in a four-ton Euro press, then the juice was transferred to neutral French oak barrels for fermentation with native yeasts. The wine went through natural malolactic fermentation and was aged over winter on lees, for a total of 19 months. The wine was racked for the first time to bottle. In addition, 10% of this wine is from a Bassi Solera Chardonnay base that was established in 2019 that has grown from each vintage since. When blended in to the current vintage wine, this adds opulence and richness through the passage of time to the wine. Unfined, unfiltered.
Pinot Gris/Pinot Noir Bassi Vineyard SLO Coast
Certified biodynamic. 65% Pinot Gris, 35% Pinot Noir. Scar of the Sea has been working with the Bassi Vineyard since 2019 and in 2024, it became their “forever farm.” The Pinot Gris is grown above the sandstone quarry in the heart of the vineyard on a southfacing hillside that has an ocean view to the Pismo dunes. The Pinot Noir comes from the long rows of block 32B, close by to the west. Both the Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris were harvested on the same day in mid-September. Pinot Gris was fermented with 100% whole clusters at the bottom of the fermention; the Pinot Noir grapes were destemmed on top for a coferment of the two grape varieties. The juice fermented with native yeast for three weeks, and gentle punchdowns were given twice a day. At dryness, the ferment was gently pressed in Gina and Mikey’s wooden basket press. The wine was collected into neutral French oak barrels for aging on fine lees for eight months. The wine was racked for the first time to bottle. Unfined, unfiltered.
Gamay Topotero Vineyard SLO Coast
Biodynamic. The 5 acre Topotero vineyard sits just west of the Bassi Vineyard in Avila Beach. Surrounded by gardens, palm trees, apples and a seasonal creek, this little vineyard is one of our favorites. The vines were grafted to Gamay from Pinot Noir in 2019 for this bottling. The vineyard was farmed by Ben Taylor (now by Mikey & Gina) with organic practices and it is in its final year of transition to Demeter biodynamic certification. The wine was fermented with 50% whole-cluster for 10 days, then pressed in our wooden basket press. The wine was bottled after 10 months in barrel, without fining or filtration and with minimal sulfur used. 214 cases were produced.
Zinfandel Old Vine Lopez Vineyard Cucamonga Valley
Certified organic. 100% Zinfandel. Planted in 1918, 70 miles inland from Los Angeles and certified organic by CCOF, the Lopez vineyard is a genuine part of California history. Farmed today by the Galleano family, Mikey and Gina Giugni of Scar of the Sea consider themselves lucky to be able to make wine from this historic site. The vines are farmed without irrigation in granite rocks and sandy soil, surrounded by freeways and track homes, one of the last reminders of an older California. The grapes were picked in mid-August, then trucked to the duo's winery in San Luis Obispo. and The fermentation bin was loaded with 50% whole-cluster fruit on the bottom and 50% destemmed grapes on top. The grapes began to ferment with native yeast a few days later, then punchdowns were given twice daily. The grapes fermented for four weeks. The wine was then drained and the grapes were pressed off in a two-ton wooden basket press. The wine was then transferred to neutral French oak barrels for aging on fine lees for eight months. The wine was racked for the first time to bottle. Unfined, unfiltered. One of the most stirring red wines ever bottled by Scar of the Sea, robust, earthen, evocative, dusty, while maintaining juicy fruit. Just everything that California should be.
Syrah Bassi Vineyard SLO Coast
Biodynamic. The Syrah plantings at the Bassi Vineyard are grown on a southwest hillside, in sandstone soils making this an extreme coastal site. The fruit was fermented with native yeast and with 100% whole cluster in an open top redwood tank. The wine was pressed in our wooden basket press and then aged for 10 months in a combination of large format 500L barrels and 225L barrels. Think ocean tar, black olive, cracked black pepper with broad tannin. 72 cases were produced.
Palomino Old Vine Lopez Vineyard Cucamonga Valley
Certified Organic. 100% Palomino. Planted in 1918, 70 miles inland from Los Angeles and certified organic by CCOF, the Lopez vineyard is a genuine part of California history. Farmed today by the Galleano family, Mikey and Gina Giugni of Scar of the Sea consider themselves lucky to be able to make wine from this historic site. The vines are farmed without irrigation in granite rocks and sandy soil, surrounded by freeways and track homes, one of the last reminders of an older California. In 2024, the grapes were picked in mid-August, then trucked to the Scar of the Sea winery in San Luis Obispo. Fermented on full skins and stems for nine days, then pressed off in a wooden basket press. The still-fermenting wine was then transferred to neutral French oak barrels to finish fermentation. At dryness, the barrels were topped up and then aged on fine lees for eight months. The wine was racked for the first time to bottle. Unfined, unfiltered. A deep, savory expression of a heritage vineyard site that shows that not all balance comes from acidity – instead, here, it’s a soil-driven backbone with supple and beautiful texture. An incredible white wine, deeply different than the other whites from this winery.
Solera Chardonnay Rancho Tepusquet (Still)
This NV Solera blend of Chardonnay was established in 2014. It is 50% Solera base, built over time from 2014-2021, which have all been aged together in 500L barrels. The other 50% of the blend comes from 2022 'Old Vine' Chardonnay from the Rancho Vinedo Vineyard that was aged for 18 months in 228 L barrels. The 2 components of the wine are blended right before bottling. This wine is a play on richness and acidity, reduction and oxidation. This is a special wine I have been building and caring for for a long time and that we are extremely proud of. 96 cases were produced.
Chardonnay/Pinot Gris Bassi Vineyard SLO Coast
Certified biodynamic. 65% Pinot Gris, 35% Chardonnay. Scar of the Sea has been working with the Bassi Vineyard since 2019 and in 2024, it became their “forever farm.” The Pinot Gris is grown above the sandstone quarry in the heart of the vineyard on a southfacing hillside that has an ocean view to the Pismo dunes. The Chardonnay also comes from eastern southfacing slopes of the Bassi vineyard. The Pinot Gris was picked late August, with the Chardonnay harvest following a few days after. The Pinot Gris was destemmed and then blended with Chardonnay juice from the press to ferment together with native yeast. The grapes fermented together in standing open-top 228L barrels for three weeks and were given gentle hand punchdowns twice daily. At dryness, the grapes was gently pressed in our wooden basket press. The wine was collected into neutral French oak barrels for aging on fine lees for eight months. The wine was racked for the first time to bottle. Unfined, unfiltered.
Pinot Noir SLO Coast
Organic. 100% Pinot Noir. This wine is a blend of fruit from three vineyards, highlighting the range of the SLO Coast AVA: the Bassi vineyard, planted in 2001 and Demeter-certified biodynamic; Casa Contenta in Avila Beach, planted ’17 and also Demeter-certified; and MarFarm in the Edna Valley, planted ’15 and practicing organic. Winemaker Mikey Giugni states, “This is one of the most important wines we make at Scar of the Sea. This wine was made over seven different vineyard picks. All the grapes for this blend were fermented in separate 1.5 ton bins, with 25% whole cluster. The grapes fermented with native yeasts and received two punchdowns daily until dryness. The wine was then drained and then the grapes were pressed in our two-ton wooden basket press. The wine was transferred to neutral French oak barrels for aging on fine lees for eight months. The wine was racked for the first time to bottle. Our wines are never fined or filtered.”
