The roots of Phelan Farm stretch back to the founding of the Phelan family homestead a few miles from the Pacific on Steiner Creek in 1851, just after California became a state. Inspired by his landโs potential to grow great grapes, Greg Phelan planted Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines on their own roots in 2007, choosing four sites within the farm best suited to viticulture. Ten years later, a chance meeting with Rajat Parr sparked a new vision for the vineyards of Phelan Farm focused on creating a healthy ecosystem for the vines through regenerative farming practices. To support this model, Raj focused on diversifying the vineyards with a selection of vines from all over Europe while retaining many of the original plantings. Today, through some of the varietals may be different, the vineyards all retain their original names to pay homage to the Phelan family.
Rajat Parr does not need much of an introduction. That is, unless you are new to Raj the farmer, the guardian of some remarkable acres a scant 3 miles from the Pacific Ocean in San Luis Obispo county.
Armed with the conviction that the most fundamental part of winemaking takes place in the vineyard, heโs put his globe-trotting lifestyle on hold to put down roots here in Phelan Farm, located between the mountains and the Pacific, in the secluded town of Cambria, CA - just up the coast from where he'd been living in Santa Barbara.