Cambria is a foggy little town on the far north coast of San Luis Obispo County, more known for its pines and its tide pools than its wine. But a few miles inland, where the marine layer finally thins, Frank and Lisa Cutruzzola planted a small vineyard devoted to the two grapes they loved most after decades of drinking great wine around the world: Pinot Noir and Riesling. The result is one of the most personal and coastal wineries on the SLO Coast.

Two grapes, chosen with care

Francis and Lisa Cutruzzola were wine lovers long before they were growers, traveling the world for years tasting widely before deciding to plant their own ground. In 2000 they found a piece of land east of Cambria that suited their two favorite varieties, and in 2001 they planted the Riven Rock Vineyard, two acres of Riesling and five of Pinot Noir, using multiple clones to build complexity. Their first real harvest came in 2009.

This is boutique winemaking in the truest sense, small lots made with obsessive attention by people who chose every vine on purpose. There is no attempt to be everything to everyone. Cutruzzola does Pinot Noir and Riesling, the two grapes that thrive in this cold coastal pocket, and does them with the focus of true believers.

After decades drinking great wine around the world, the Cutruzzolas planted just two grapes, Pinot Noir and Riesling.

The cold edge of the coast

The SLO Coast is among the coolest and most maritime wine regions in California, and Cambria sits at its far northern end, wrapped in fog and ocean air. The Riven Rock Vineyard lies about six and a half miles from the Pacific, close enough that the marine layer governs the daily rhythm, holding heat down and stretching the growing season into one of the longest in the state.

That cold is exactly what Pinot Noir and Riesling want. Both are cool-climate grapes that depend on a long, gentle season to develop aromatics while keeping the bright acidity that makes them refreshing. Push them into heat and they lose their nerve. Here, on the chilly Cambria coast, they hold onto everything that makes them special.

Pinot Noir and Riesling, coastal style

The Pinot Noirs are cool-climate to the core, perfumed and red-fruited with a savory edge and the fine structure that a long, cold season brings. The Rieslings range from bright and dry to slightly off-dry, all built around the racy acidity and citrus-and-stone-fruit aromatics that make Riesling one of the most food-friendly wines on earth, and one of the most underrated in California.

Because the production is tiny, these are wines you mostly find at the source, which is part of their charm. A visit to the Cambria tasting room is the way to discover them, poured by people who can tell you exactly which clone and which block each glass came from.

What to pour it with

Riesling is a secret weapon at the table, and the Cutruzzola bottlings prove it. The dry style is a precise match for Dungeness crab, fresh oysters, or grilled white fish, its high acidity cutting brine and fat and resetting the palate. The off-dry style is the one to reach for with spicy food, mild Thai curry or Vietnamese dishes, because the touch of sweetness cools the chile heat that alcohol would otherwise amplify.

The Pinot Noir is the table red for the local catch and beyond, salmon, seared duck, or roast chicken with mushrooms, where its acidity handles the fat and its savory side meets the earthiness of the mushrooms on shared umami notes. Keep firm tannins away from delicate seafood and let the Riesling or the lighter Pinot carry it.

Cutruzzola Vineyards: common questions