Phelan Farm Chardonnay, San Luis Obispo Coast 2024 is a cool-climate, low-intervention white from Rajat Parr’s estate on California’s Central Coast. Made from 100% Chardonnay grown on volcanic and metamorphic soils just five kilometres from the Pacific, it is a tense, mineral and saline wine in an old-world style—fermented in neutral oak and aged in a 500-litre Stockinger puncheon with no added sulphur.
Critic tasting note: (2024 vintage)
"Plenty of dried mango, apple, yellow fruit and some lemon curd aromas follow through to a medium body with fresh citrus acidity and a crunchy finish. Pure and primary with integrity and brightness. Drink now." - James Suckling
Technical Details
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Producer: Phelan Farm, Rajat Parr, Cambria, San Luis Obispo County, Central Coast, California, USA
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Wine: Chardonnay, San Luis Obispo Coast AVA
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Vintage: 2024
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Grape variety: 100% Chardonnay
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Vineyard: Phelan Farm, a historic cattle ranch established in 1851
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Vineyard location: Five kilometres inland from the Pacific Ocean, near Cambria
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Elevation: 320 metres
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Soil: Cambria Felsite (hard, fine-grained volcanic rock) and Franciscan Mélange (argillite, serpentinite, schist)
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Vineyard position: Alluvial terraces near Steiner Creek
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Farming: Regenerative, uncertified organic, biodynamic practices, permaculture
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Harvest: Hand-harvested
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Pressing: Direct press
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Fermentation: Indigenous yeasts in neutral oak
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Ageing: 500-litre Stockinger oak puncheon
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Sulphur: No SO2 added
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Fining and filtration: None
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Alcohol: 12.5%
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Bottle size: 750 ml
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Serving temperature: 10–12°C
The Producer
Phelan Farm is the project of Rajat Parr, the renowned sommelier and winemaker, who in 2019 leased five hectares of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines at a historic cattle ranch in San Luis Obispo County. The estate is located just five kilometres inland from the Pacific Ocean, in one of California’s coolest and most maritime wine regions.
Parr focuses on cool-climate varieties such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Mondeuse and Poulsard, which thrive in the breezy conditions of the SLO Coast. The estate practices regenerative agriculture, uncertified organic farming and biodynamic methods, with a permaculture-based approach to vineyard management.
Vineyard and Terroir
Phelan Farm’s vineyards sit on alluvial terraces near Steiner Creek, at 320 metres elevation. The soils are influenced by two distinct geological formations: Cambria Felsite, a hard, fine-grained volcanic rock, and Franciscan Mélange, a complex mixture of argillite, serpentinite and schist.
This combination of volcanic and metamorphic soils, together with the cool maritime climate, gives the Chardonnay its intense minerality, saline character and vibrant acidity. The proximity to the Pacific ensures slow, even ripening and preserves the wine’s tension and freshness.
The 2024 Vintage
The 2024 growing season in San Luis Obispo Coast was marked by cool, breezy conditions, ideal for slow ripening and the preservation of acidity. The maritime influence of the Pacific Ocean moderated temperatures throughout the season, allowing the Chardonnay to develop its full aromatic and mineral potential.
Chambers Street Wines described the 2024 Phelan Farm Chardonnay as “particularly eye-opening,” noting its energy and tension and predicting that it will age gracefully over the next five to ten years.
Winemaking and Ageing
The Chardonnay is hand-harvested and directly pressed, then fermented with indigenous yeasts in neutral oak. The wine is aged in a 500-litre Stockinger oak puncheon, a large-format vessel that allows gentle oxygen exchange while preserving fruit purity and mineral precision.
No sulphur is added at any stage, and the wine is neither fined nor filtered. This low-intervention approach allows the vineyard’s volcanic and metamorphic terroir to express itself fully in the glass.
Tasting Profile
The 2024 Phelan Farm Chardonnay shows just a hint of reduction on the nose, which opens with subtle fruit, beautiful tension and intense minerality. Chambers Street Wines describes it as “very much in an old-world style,” with a profile more reminiscent of a great Chablis or Jura white than a typical California Chardonnay.
On the palate, the wine is energetic and finely textured, with citrus, orchard fruit, saline minerality and a long, precise finish. Its acidity is vibrant but balanced, giving the wine both freshness and ageing potential.
Aroma and flavour: lemon zest, green apple, white peach, citrus oil, crushed stone, saline minerality, subtle reduction and delicate floral notes.
Palate: light- to medium-bodied, tense and mineral, with vibrant acidity, fine texture and a long, saline finish.
Style: a cool-climate, old-world-inspired Chardonnay—pure, energetic and terroir-driven, with the tension and minerality typical of coastal California’s finest sites.
Drinking Window
The 2024 Phelan Farm Chardonnay is approachable on release but benefits from a short period of cellaring. Its tension, acidity and mineral structure give it the balance to develop gracefully over the next five to ten years.
Serve it cool at 10–12°C and allow it time in the glass to open, as the subtle reduction dissipates with aeration and the wine’s full aromatic complexity emerges.
Food Pairing
Serve at 10–12°C with oysters, raw shellfish, sea urchin, crab, sushi and sashimi. Its saline finish and citrus precision also make it excellent with grilled fish, white asparagus, poultry in cream sauce, and young or lightly aged goat’s cheese.
For a more contemplative pairing, serve it alongside aged Comté, Beaufort or a delicate truffle dish, allowing its nutty, mineral complexity to come forward.
Collector Note
This is a rare, low-intervention Chardonnay from one of California’s most respected sommelier-winemakers, made from a single estate vineyard in the cool SLO Coast AVA. Phelan Farm’s wines are produced in small quantities, and the 2024 Chardonnay’s no-added-sulphur approach and volcanic terroir make each release distinctive.
The combination of Rajat Parr’s reputation, the unique Cambria Felsite and Franciscan Mélange soils, and the freshness of the 2024 vintage makes this a compelling choice for collectors seeking age-worthy, terroir-driven California Chardonnay with long-term development potential.
Recommended serving: open and allow 30–60 minutes in a large white-wine glass before serving at 10–12°C to reveal its full aromatic complexity and mineral depth.
