Scar of the Sea Bassi Vineyard Coferment
August 19th, 2026
There’s something wonderfully wild about Scar of the Sea. Their wines feel less like they were made than discovered: coastal fruit, biodynamic farming, native fermentation, and a true expression of the San Luis Obispo Coast. Unlike anything else on the shelf, their Bassi Vineyard Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir Co-Ferment is a bottle to pay attention to.
Scar of the Sea is the passion project of winemakers Mikey and Gina Giugni, who have spent years building a deeper relationship between farming, place, and the wines they make. What began in 2012 as a grassroots project leasing small coastal vineyard sites has evolved into something much more ambitious: a move toward the vigneron model, where they can farm their own land and truly shape the expression of a site from vine to bottle.
In July 2024, they purchased their forever farm: the 29-acre Bassi Vineyard in Avila Beach, nestled in the SLO Coast AVA just over a mile from the Pacific Ocean. The vineyard sits on south-facing sandstone hillsides, with fog, ocean breezes, and an unusually maritime climate. It's farmed using regenerative and biodynamic principles, and is now the home vineyard for both of their winemaking projects: Scar of the Sea and Lady of the Sunshine.
Grown above the sandstone quarry at Bassi Vineyard, with an ocean view, this wine is a 55% Pinot Gris and 45% Pinot Noir coferment. And this isn't a red and white blended together after the fact. The Pinot Gris goes into the bottom of the fermenter as 100% whole clusters, with destemmed Pinot Noir layered on top, allowing the two varieties to ferment together.
The result lands somewhere between a light red, rosé, and skin-contact white. Light-bodied and floral, with candied red fruit, pomegranate, and blood orange, it has the juicy, crunchy character of Pinot Noir with the aromatic lift and subtle phenolic grip of Pinot Gris. Think cranberry and raspberry, grapefruit, white pepper, and just enough tannin to make it linger.
Mikey and Gina Giugni have earned a reputation for thoughtful, beautiful California wines and this unique bottling is no exception. Fresh, savory, wild, and incredibly drinkable, give it a slight chill and watch it come alive.
