2019 Vocal Vineyards Gruner Veltliner Alfaro Vineyard Santa Cruz Mountains 750 ml

Crazy like a fox.

There’s no other way to describe Vöcal Vineyards’ Grüner Veltliner.

The product of a collaboration between two of California wine’s most innovative thinkers—Chronicle Winemaker of the Year Ian Brand and Food & Wine Sommelier of the Year Ted Glennon—it’s an electric white that’s one of the most exciting bottles we’ve tasted this year.

The concept, after all, sounds like a dare: What would happen if you planted Grüner Veltliner in a prime site in the Santa Cruz Mountains, an area best known for towering Cabernet like Ridge’s Monte Bello and profound Pinot Noir from the likes of Rhys and Mt. Eden? 

You’d have to be crazy—or a visionary—to find out.

The result, it turns out, is a peek into the future of California wine. We aren’t alone in our enthusiasm for the project, either: Vöcal’s wines have been featured on a slew of the most prestigious wine lists in the country, from MICHELIN icons Saison and SingleThread in California to Gramercy Tavern and Joël Robuchon in New York.

The Alfaro Vineyard is a hidden gem in the Santa Cruz Mountains—a beautifully farmed site surrounded by towering redwoods, coastal shrubs, and pines. Sitting above the fog line at an elevation of 550 feet, it benefits from warm days that allow the Grüner to develop rich fruit and spiciness, while brisk coastal breezes cool the vines and preserve the grapes’ electric vibrancy.

The creativity doesn’t end with the wine: The artwork for the label is screen-printed onto each bottle at a studio in San Francisco—a handcrafted touch for an artisanal product that will make a believer out of you.