About Monochrome (and Our Focus on White Wine)
Philosophy
At Monochrome, we focus exclusively on white wines. We believe white wines should be as complex and intriguing as the best reds. We believe winemaking should be creative rather than formulaic. We believe each wine should be unique. Everything we do is motivated by those beliefs. We start with great fruit, from great vineyards. We then combine creativity, intricate methods, a dash of contrarian thinking, and a lot of hard work to create white wines unlike any others.
Winemaking
Our goal is to make white wines that are complex, creative and completely unique. To do that we not only work with numerous grape varieties (typically seven to nine), but also intentionally make each barrel differently: different fermentation temperatures, different yeasts, different vessel types, skin-fermentation, lees stirring, etc. We typically end up with four to seven versions for each variety. The goal is to create a broad array of components, each of which emphasizes one or more of the qualitative characteristics of wine (aromatics, flavors, mouthfeel, texture, acidity, color, tannin, phenolics, etc.) and then use them as building blocks to construct the final blends.
We don’t follow preconceived notions of single-variety, single-vineyard, conventional blends, or even what we did in previous vintages. We never use the word “terroir”. Each year, we let the wines go where they may during blending. Each blend is unique – we actively try to avoid doing anything that is just a re-hash of something we, or someone else, has done before.
Vineyards
Monochrome is based in Paso Robles, in the heart of California’s Central Coast. Within a hundred-mile radius, there is an incredible range of microclimates, ranging from quite warm to quite cool. This diversity allows us to seek out vineyards that provide the ideal conditions for each specific variety and are meticulously farmed for superb fruit quality. The vineyards we have used include the following:
- Bien Nacido (Santa Maria Valley): Chardonnay
- Camp 4 (Santa Ynez Valley): Marsanne
- Donnachadh (Sta. Rita Hills): Chardonnay
- Enz (Lime Kiln Valley): Sauvignon Blanc
- G2 (Willow Creek District, Paso Robles): Grenache Blanc
- Glenrose (Adelaida District, Paso Robles): Picpoul and Vermentino
- Jurassic Park (Santa Ynez Valley): Chenin Blanc
- McGinley (Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara): Sauvignon Blanc
- Oliver’s (Arroyo Grande): Sauvignon Blanc
- ONX Estate (Templeton Gap District, Paso Robles): Grenache Gris and Picpoul
- Paso Ono (El Pomar District, Paso Robles): Vermentino and Albariño
- Plum Orchard Lane (Templeton Gap District, Paso Robles): Albariño, Viognier, Albillo Mayor
- Shokrian (Santa Ynez Valley): Viognier
- Zaca Mesa (Santa Ynez Valley): Roussanne
End Results
All our wines are blends. They are all unique, are frequently unorthodox, and we rarely make the same wine twice. We try to make a range of styles, from lighter to more full-bodied. We aim for wines that balance flavor, texture and complexity and provide our customers with unique sensory and intellectual experiences.