Introducing: Dusty Nabor Wines

Back in March I attended the aptly named “World of Pinot Noir” in Santa Barbara. This is an enormous event spread over several days, consisting of educational seminars, winemaker dinners and lunches, plus a couple enormous “Grand Tastings” with hundreds of wineries in attendance from all over the globe. Despite being pretty overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the event (and I’m not exactly a rookie at large tasting events) it was an amazing opportunity to taste a ton Pinot Noir, (though there were also several “under-the-table” pours of non-Pinot-based wines around the room). I had the opportunity to connect with old friends and to seek out new exciting wines to add to our selections. One of my favorite “discoveries” during the event were the wines I tasted with Dusty Nabor. I had seen the wines pop up in a few articles and vintage reports for the Sta. Rita Hills, but I had never before had the chance to taste the wines or meet Dusty himself. The uniqueness and quality of his wines was very clear to me despite being in a room bustling with hundreds of thirsty tasters and thousands of wines on display. I grabbed his contact info and snapped a couple photos of my favorite wines, resolving to follow up with him after the event. A few days, and a few emails later, I was able to taste the full lineup of his wines and really appreciate the brilliance on display. The wines all have a very strong sense of place. The wines have nice fruit, but also embrace some savory aspects of cool-climate viticulture and varieties that can express savory qualities. Winemaking is minimal intervention/natural, but pure and precise. Grapes are sourced from some of the most renowned vineyards throughout the Sta. Rita Hills and neighboring Ballard Canyon. The winery is a true one-man show with Dusty as the sole employee in a small industrial space in Camarillo, CA. All the wines are very small production with almost everything being sold directly to his mailing list and local restaurants. I’m super excited to introduce these wines to our staff and customers as I think they are truly excellent, compelling, complex wines. 

2022 Dusty Nabor "J+K Vineyard" Ballard Canyon Viognier $29.95 I’m a very tough critic of Viognier. It’s a remarkably difficult grape to make wine from. 70% I taste are over-ripe, effusively aromatic, but lacking in freshness, acidity and balance. Another 20% try to counter this common trait by picking super early. Unfortunately most of those wines are insipid, with little varietal character, texture or complexity. But every now and again, about 1 in 10 I’d guess, you get a magical expression of the grape that captures its wonderful aromatics, fruit, weight and textural finesse and the grape's ability to convey stunning minerality. This is one such wine. Grown in the J+K Vineyard in Ballard Canyon. This small but stunning hillside site has a patchwork of small blocks draped over rocky, sandy soils, studded with limestone. The wine has trademark honeysuckle floral notes, apricot, white peach, almond croissant, crushed rock minerals. A flinty edge to the wine and ample acidity give plenty of cut without sacrificing the varietal expression. Just so delicious.

2022 NSO Wines Sta Rita Hills Chardonnay $19.95 NSO or “No Special Occasion” is basically a second label for Dusty Nabor focused on everyday drinkers. The mission statement for the wine: “No pretense. No high prices. NSO wines are simply bang for the buck. With great pride, we bring you value through low cost wines. Never fear, though: NSO wines come from the prestigious AVAs and responsibly farmed vineyards we love.”  The vineyard source for this wine is purposefully undisclosed. The fruit is whole-cluster pressed to neutral French oak. Native fermentation, 10 months on lees, bottled unfined, unfiltered, with just 25ppm SO2. White flowers, racy citrus fruits, saline minerals, toasted almond, and warm pretzel with rock salt. The values of the wines under this label are EXCEPTIONAL.

J+K Vineyard Grenache.

2023 Dusty Nabor "J+K Vineyard" Ballard Canyon Sparkling Pet Nat Rosé of Grenache $29.95 One of the best Pet Nats I’ve tasted, period. I loved this wine and grabbed the last few remaining cases Dusty had. Made of Grenache Noir from the head-trained, high-density blocks at J+K Vineyard Ballard Canyon. Some rosé wines are described as “strawberries and cream”. This Pet Nat is more like golden raspberries and greek yogurt, crunchy, tart bright red fruits, chalky texture, tangy acidity, a lively spritz and some spiced bergamot and amaro like qualities. A coolness and freshness to the fruit which is totally compelling. 15 cases made…and we got 4 of them! 

2023 NSO Wines Ballard Canyon Rosé of Grenache Noir $17.95 We could probably debate all day long if this wine is best described as a dark colored rosé or a light, translucent, “chillable red”. One thing I'm sure of however is that this wine is ridiculously crushable and absolutely delicious. Recently paired with some fried chicken tacos and it was gone in 20 mins flat. Bright, crunchy red fruit, don't let the deeper hue fool you into thinking this is sweet or lacking in acidity, it's perfectly tart, chalky, racy with juicy acid with sandy, crushed rock minerals. So good, and an absolute steal. 

2022 Dusty Nabor "Radian Vineyard" Sta Rita Hills Pinot Noir $59.95 From one of the most radical and exposed sites in the already cold and windswept Sta. Rita Hills. Sitting in the southwestern corner of the appellation on an elevated, west-facing hillside, Radian takes the full brunt of the relentless coastal winds head-on. The fruit comes from the “Pinot Bowl” section of the vineyard, a natural amphitheater mid-slope with highly eroded, powdery, diatomaceous earth soils. The clone is 667, with tight clusters and concentrated aromatics. The wine is wild and savory on the nose with dusty earth, coastal chaparral notes, dried herbs, baking spice and mulberry elements. Small, brambly, forest berries and laced with exotic spices. It opens and gains generosity with air in the decanter or plenty of swirls in the glass. A very complex, layered, ageworthy style of Pinot Noir. Treat it like a Premier Cru Burgundy. 

- Ryan Woodhouse, K&L Domestic Buyer