Sabelli-Frisch
Producer website
About:
Growing up in the 70’s meant having a hippie mum that constantly dragged me around the world on travels from the age of five, which probably prepared me for life's windings and twists.
The travels continued in my longtime parallel career as a cinematographer, where I’ve been lucky enough to be able to both live and work in many places in this world. With that came an almost inevitable food and wine interest. After settling down in California in my late 30’s, that eventually led me to home winemaking. Pretty bad at first, but I got better at it as the years passed. And like so many others, I started to dream of making wine professionally. I admit, it’s not an original thought by any means. But the day came when I had to ask myself that question that everyone has to ask themselves at some point: What could I see myself doing for the rest of my life? I could think of only one thing besides taking pictures that I’d like to do, and that was to make wine. After all, California is perfect for it, and I was already here.
I make wine from low-impact vineyards, focus on rare, forgotten, under-appreciated or historic grape varieties, because that’s what gets me excited personally. I try to make them in an elegant Old World way here in the New World. I tend to go for more restrained oak usage for best expression, but not at all opposed to oak if the wine demands it (and some do). My wines are normally bone dry, fermented naturally, contain no added chemicals, low in sulfites, unfiltered and unfined. I also don’t rush them to market, I prefer to let them age in the winery for at least a year and half or more. I find it really helps them develop and refine, as well as prepare them for further aging. The unfined, dry part also makes them suitable for vegans and those who prefer low to no residual sugar in their wines.