About Monochrome (and Our Focus on White Wine)
Philosophy
At Monochrome, we only make white wines. We believe white wines should be as complex, intriguing, and flavorful 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. If you're looking for a white wine just like the ones you can get in a grocery store, you've come to the wrong place.
Winemaking
Our goal is to make white wines that are complex, creative, flavorful, and interesting. To do that we not only work with numerous grape varieties (typically seven to nine), but also intentionally make each lot differently: different fermentation temperatures, different yeasts, different vessel types (neutral oak, new oak, stainless, amphora, etc.), skin-fermentation, lees stirring, etc. We typically end up with four to seven versions for each variety, each of which is completely different from the others. 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 those as building blocks to construct the final blends. We take inspiration not only from all parts of the winemaking world, but also from styles spanning the history of winemaking, from modern to ancient.
Vineyards
Monochrome is based in Paso Robles, California. Within a hundred-mile radius, there is an incredible range of microclimates, ranging from quite warm to quite cool. Since we do not own any vineyards, we can take advantage of that climatic diversity and seek out vineyards that provide the ideal conditions for each of the specific grape varieties we use. The vineyards from which we have sourced fruit include the following:
- 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 aim for wines that balance flavor, texture and complexity and provide our customers with a unique sensory and intellectual experience.