On a month-long family trip to Oaxaca, the locals took one look at Molly Lonborg’s baby daughter Alma and started calling her Almita, little soul. The name stuck, and so did the idea. Alma comes from the Latin almus, kind and nourishing, and translates to soul in Spanish. Molly is the head winemaker at Alta Colina, schooled in big Rhone reds, but in 2020 she founded Little Soul to make something lighter and more personal, organically grown wines with lower alcohol, including a carbonic-style Pinot Noir and a rose. It is a label named for a child and built around restraint.

Molly Lonborg and a label named Alma

Molly Lonborg learned her craft the deep way, refining her skills with Rhone varieties and a farming-first philosophy, and in 2020 she took on the role of head winemaker at Alta Colina in the Adelaida District. That is her day job, serious, structured westside reds. Little Soul, which she founded the same year, is the counterweight, a personal project where she gets to chase delicacy, freshness, and lower alcohol on her own terms.

The story behind the name is genuinely tender. Molly had long hoped to name a daughter Alma, and in 2019 she welcomed Alma Lou Lonborg. The Oaxaca trip turned Alma into Almita, little soul, and the wine label followed. Little Soul handcrafts wines from organically farmed fruit, with a focus on limited-production rose and carbonic Pinot Noir. It is a small label with a clear point of view, that wine can be light without being slight.

The name traveled home from Oaxaca, where strangers called baby Alma little soul and it never let go.

Westside fruit, a lighter hand

Little Soul draws on organically grown fruit from the Adelaida District and the broader Paso westside, the cool, high limestone country that climbs the Santa Lucia Range. This is the same terroir that gives Alta Colina and its neighbors their freshness, shallow calcareous soils that limit vigor and a big day-to-night temperature swing cooled by Pacific air spilling through the Templeton Gap. Cold mountain nights are what let the grapes hold onto natural acidity even as they ripen.

That acidity is the secret to Little Soul’s whole approach. To make wines that are light, low in alcohol, and refreshing, you need fruit that keeps its brightness and tension. Westside Paso, picked with restraint and farmed organically, delivers exactly that raw material. The wines are about transparency and lift rather than power, which makes the choice of cool, high-elevation, limestone-driven fruit not a luxury but the entire foundation.

Carbonic Pinot, rose, and the joy of less

The carbonic-style Pinot Noir is the heart of the label. Carbonic maceration, fermenting whole clusters in a carbon-dioxide-rich environment so fermentation begins inside the intact berries, coaxes out vivid, juicy fruit and a glossy, almost crunchy texture while keeping tannin soft. Expect bright red cherry and raspberry, a floral lift, a hint of spice, and a wine that practically begs for a slight chill. It is Pinot reimagined as something gulpable and glad.

The rose is cut from the same cloth, dry, crisp, and built for freshness rather than weight, the kind of pink wine that disappears on a warm afternoon. Across the range the through-line is lower alcohol and high drinkability, wines that prioritize energy and refreshment over heft. If you have only ever met Paso through its blockbuster reds, Little Soul is the playful, low-key counterpoint, proof that the westside can do delicate just as convincingly as it does bold.

What to pour Little Soul with

Little Soul’s bright, low-alcohol wines are food-friendly precisely because of their acidity and light frame. The carbonic Pinot, served with a slight chill, is a brilliant partner for grilled salmon, roast chicken, charcuterie, or a mushroom tart, the wine’s juicy red fruit and soft tannins flatter without overwhelming. Acid is the key tool here, it cuts through richness and refreshes the palate, so fattier dishes and creamy sauces actually make the wine sing rather than fight it.

The rose loves summer cooking and lighter fare, think shellfish, a salad with goat cheese, grilled vegetables, or spicy noodles. A quick note on heat, alcohol amplifies the burn of chili, so the lower-alcohol style here is an asset with moderately spicy food where a high-octane red would scorch. And because nothing in the lineup is heavy, you can match brightness to brightness, citrusy dishes and herb-forward plates especially. To dial in a specific dish, the free wine pairing generator takes the guesswork out.

Visiting Little Soul

Little Soul is a small, personal label, so the way to experience it leans toward tastings by reservation rather than a large drop-in tasting room. Because availability and formats can change, confirm current details before planning a visit, and keep in mind that Molly’s main winemaking home is Alta Colina in the Adelaida District. Little Soul’s limited-production rose and carbonic Pinot can also be tracked down through the label directly. If you are mapping a westside day around lighter, organically grown wines like these, our Paso Robles guide can help you find the right mix of producers and plan your route through the limestone hills.

Little Soul: common questions