We had the Lieu Dit Chenin Blanc, by Eric Railsback and Justin Willett, in the December 2020 case, and since that time, the Railsback Freres winery that Eric started with his brother Lyle, has taken off. Lyle was managing the legendary Kermit Lynch portfolio until their winery demanded his full attention and Eric, similarly, needed to edit his commitments to Lieu Dit and the Les Marchands wine bar and store that I’m sure all you Santa Barbaran Kompas Clubbers remember well. Inspired by the waxy, saline whites of Cassis, Bandol, and Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines of southern France, the brothers see parallels in the climate and soils of the Santa Ynez Valley and the south of France and jumped at the chance to work with the certified sustainably-farmed Clairette Blanche from the new Nolan Ranch Vineyard in the Alisos Canyon AVA. Clairette Blanche is an aromatic and acidic grape that is the lead actor in many of the white wines of France’s Mediterranean coast. This native yeast fermented and neutral oak aged wine shows ripening white stone fruit, citrus flower blossoms and hints of fennel with a round, saline feel. Would be outstanding with Provençal mussels, lemon tuna and capers pasta or semi-firm herbed goat cheese.