My Wine: Rajat Parr

Salt Bae has more followers than Harry Styles and Gordon Ramsey has more Netflix shows than we can count. But while the celebrity chef has gone mainstream, the celebrity sommelier has not. The closest thing the wine world has is Raj Parr. His appearances in the Somm films, his wine programs at countless restaurants from Miami to San Francisco, and his evangelism for minimal intervention winemaking have brought him to the top of the industry. Now, he’s taking things a few steps further, making his own wines at Sandhi, Raj Parr Wines, and Domaine de la Côte. A dyed-in-the-wool Burgundy fan, Raj is making old world-style wines around Santa Barbara, including some of the best chardonnay and pinot in America today.

A Couple of Our Favorite Raj Parr Wines:

Raj Parr Wines, Tres Chingones 2020

Raj has tasted more great wines than most people have ever seen, so when he’s blown away by something, it’s worth taking note. He points to a Paris bistro a few years back as the inspiration for the ‘Tres Chingones’. It was there that he tasted a bright, vibrant red from Savoie made from gamay, pinot noir, and mondeuse. Back in Santa Barbara, he planted those three grapes, and made this wine as tribute. Served lightly chilled, this is the perfect summer red.

Raj Parr Wines, Mistuardo de Cambria Mencía Blend 2020

Envínate is arguably the most exciting producer in Spain right now. They make slightly wild, extremely drinkable, wholly unique wines. Raj is friends with the folks at Envínate, and understanding his passion and abilities, they offered to send him some of their mencia vines from Galicia. Raj planted them back in California, and made this light red that reminds us of a spicy, floral Beaujolais.