Absolution Cellars, Morro Bay, with Winemaker Dirk Neumann

“Absolution Cellars specializes in limited-production, handcrafted, single-vineyard wines from select vineyards all throughout the beautiful Central Coast. With over 20 different varieties and wines made each year, you’ll find something to please every palate. Each wine that they craft is the best version of itself – a unique portrait of place and time, an honest expression of where and when the grapes were grown. Made for you to savor, enjoy, and share with your family and friends, as well as strangers, who may become one or both.” “Dirk’s winemaking philosophy is to let the grapes, vineyards, and vintage speak. Wine can be unlike any other beverage in that regard, and that’s part of what makes it beautiful and unique. He partners with experienced owners and growers all over the Central Coast, allowing him access to a wide variety of grapes ideally situated to the vineyards where they are planted. His winemaking style leans more towards the Old World, while benefiting from the opportunities and creativity that the New World offers. The grapes are hand-sorted by cluster (with some whole-cluster inclusion on almost every red wine), destemmed, and sorted again by hand. Reds are fermented in 1-ton, open-top fermenters, and then aged for 16-40 months in neutral barrels. White and Rosés are gently pressed the same day as harvest and then fermented and aged 5 to 11 months in neutral barrels. All wines are cross-flow filtered prior to bottling.” “The bottles are adorned with licensed artwork from Aja Trier of Sagittarius Gallery, with each piece connected to the wine by Dirk’s interpretation of the art. Bottles are finished simply with high-quality corks, eliminating the unnecessary waste of capsules or wax.”