Blending the 2024 Vintage: When the Barrels Speak (and We Listen)
The Magic of the Blending Room: Crafting the 2024 Vintage
Just before the holidays, we stepped into the cellar with the visionary team at Dragonette Cellars to face the ultimate winemaking challenge: defining the 2024 vintage. With winemakers John Dragonette and Brandon Sparks-Gillis, we set aside rigid formulas and let the barrels lead the way.
After three hours of meticulous tasting and blending from just six select barrels, we discovered exactly what this year had to offer. From the bold, Cabernet-led structure of Oso to the elegant, nightly beauty of Luna, the results are a true reflection of the Los Olivos District terroir.
Just before the 2025 holidays swept us all into festive chaos, we carved out a sacred day in the cellar for something truly special: blending our 2024 vintage.
Julio and I joined the brilliant team from Dragonette Cellars — winemakers John Dragonette and Brandon Sparks-Gillis — at their Buellton facility. With Julio, John, Brandon, and myself around the table, we dove in with open minds (and, yes, very open palates 😏).
No preconceived notions. No pressure to replicate the magic of 2023. Our only goal? To let the wine tell us what it wanted to be.
We worked from just six precious barrels — 2024 seems to have been a “low-yield” year for many valley area vineyards — tasting, discussing, adjusting, and re-tasting. Hours flew by in a blur of thoughtful pours, spirited debates, and plenty of laughter. There was a moment we all shared the same quiet wonder: Would 2024 reveal both an Oso 🐻 and a Luna 🌙? Or would this vintage carve its own path entirely?
After about three hours of pure winemaking alchemy, the answer emerged — and it left us all grinning.
The 2024 vintage has spoken, and it's speaking volumes. Vibrant, balanced, and full of personality, these blends capture everything we love about Santa Ynez Valley: the bright acidity, the layered fruit, the elegant structure that makes Bordeaux-style blends from our corner of Santa Barbara Wine Country so compelling.
This wasn't just about hitting numbers or following a formula. It was collaboration at its best — expertise meeting intuition, experience dancing with curiosity. A year of vineyard work, fermentation, and patient barrel aging distilled into a final, decisive moment in our glasses.
We're beyond excited to share what's coming. The wines are resting now, integrating, and gaining even more complexity with time. But we already know: 2024 is something special.
A huge thank you to John, Brandon, Julio, Steve, and the entire crew for the talent, the humor, and the unforgettable energy that day. Days like these remind us why we do what we do.
Stay tuned for more on the 2024 releases. The dream continues 🍷✨ For the big “reveal” visit our Instagram post - 3 hours and more than a year in the making, distilled to 15 seconds.
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