There are few vineyards in California closer to the ocean than the Bassi Ranch. It sits just over a mile from the surf at Avila Beach, so close that the Pacific is the dominant fact of its existence, fog in the morning, cold wind by afternoon, salt in the air. This is the home of Sinor-LaVallee, the work of a Cal Poly couple who fell in love with each other and with Burgundy, and came home to make wine on the very edge of the coast.

A Cal Poly love story

Sinor-LaVallee was founded in 1997 by Mike Sinor and Cheri LaVallee Sinor, who met as students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 1993 and married in 1996 in Beaune, in the heart of Burgundy. Mike came to wine without formal training but with a fierce work ethic, starting with the 1993 harvest and going on to become one of the central coast most decorated winemakers.

The couple built their estate around the Bassi Vineyard near Avila Beach, planted in 2001 on coastal hills inland of Shell Beach. For years they made their wines exclusively from this estate fruit, a rare commitment that ties every bottle directly to one extraordinary piece of coastal ground. Today the project also includes a lively Avila Beach tasting scene, but the heart of it remains that ocean-edge vineyard.

The Bassi Ranch grows grapes barely a mile from the surf, among the closest vineyards to the ocean in California.

Vineyard on the ocean edge

The SLO Coast is among the coolest, most maritime wine regions in California, with vineyards averaging only a few miles from the sea. The Bassi Vineyard takes that to an extreme, sitting barely over a mile from the Pacific. Marine fog and cold ocean wind are constant, which holds the temperature down and gives the grapes one of the longest, gentlest growing seasons anywhere in the state.

That proximity to the sea defines the wines. The long, cool hang time lets the fruit develop full flavor while keeping racy acidity, and many tasters find a subtle salinity in the wines that feels like the coast itself. The thirty-acre estate is planted to Pinot Noir in many clones, plus Syrah, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Albarino, a lineup chosen to suit this cold, salt-sprayed ground.

Pinot Noir, Albarino, and bubbles

Pinot Noir is the cornerstone, made in a cool-climate style that is perfumed, red-fruited, and savory, with the bright acidity and fine structure the maritime site delivers. Alongside it, the Albarino stands out, a Spanish coastal white that is a natural fit for a vineyard this close to the water, crisp and saline and built for seafood.

The range also stretches to Syrah, Chardonnay, and traditional and ancestral-method sparkling wines, including a PetNat of Pinot Noir. Across the lineup the through line is freshness and a sense of place, wines that taste unmistakably of the cold edge of the California coast.

What to pour it with

The Albarino is the obvious place to start, because it was practically made for what comes out of the water here. Its high acidity and saline edge make it a clean, complementary match for fresh oysters, grilled fish, or shrimp, cutting through brine and fat the way a squeeze of lemon would. Fittingly, the winery Avila Beach spot lets you shuck your own Morro Bay oysters alongside it.

The Pinot Noir is the versatile red for salmon, seared duck, or roast chicken with mushrooms, where its acidity cuts the fat and its savory side meets the earthiness on shared umami notes. The sparkling wines do the hardest job of all, cutting through anything fried or salty while keeping the palate fresh. Keep firm tannins away from delicate seafood and let the Albarino or sparkling carry it.

Sinor-LaVallee: common questions