We are in the early days of a modern renaissance in the artisanal wine world.

A cross-generational melting pot of innovation spanning a dizzying array of grapes and tastes under the moniker of natural wine.

Alongside the early pioneers, there is a new generation showing up.

Less connected to tradition, defined as a group mostly through the individuality and strength of their diversity. Their unabashed vitality and optimism is layering into the wine world something fresh with a zest of personality all its own.

These qualities are singularly true for Cameron and Marlen Porter, co-winemakers and the couple behind Amplify Wines in Santa Barbara County.

I met them last year at a Chambers Street Wines tasting and was seriously smitten with their Carignane, a fresh and bright, light and brilliant bottle that drinks like an homage to my beloved Poulsard from the Jura.

It was this wine that started it for them as winemakers six years ago. It was the bottle that drew me to chronicle their story here.

They are young, both turning 34 this year. Musicians by background. Creative, expressive and thoughtful individuals by nature. Natives of Santa Barbara County by birth.

As they told their story, they grew up drinking the classic wines from Burgundy and Bordeaux but discovered that the wines they truly loved, the ones that drew them in and set their imaginations loose just happened to be natural wines.

In their early 20s, living in LA, dating and hanging out at Lou Amdur’s wine bar, Lou On Vine, they fell for those forgotten places like the Jura. Realized that natural wine is an approach, not a dogma. A platform for experimentation and creativity that they could personalize and make their own.

There is something original, honest, solidly earnest and focused about the two of them.

On one hand, they are truly driven by the creative expression that lets them as musicians and self-taught winemakers make wines of individual consequence reimagined through personal visions of music and art.

On the other, they are born and raised in rural Santa Barbara County, locals intimate with the details of this diverse terroir. Poetic as they describe how the transverse mountain ranges, opening to the pacific drive huge temperature shifts impacting the vines. How the uniqueness of the soil—serpentine and diatomaceous earth–is formative to the character of the place and the possibilities of the wine itself.

Amplify Wines was founded in 2013 when they scraped together savings to buy a ton of grapes, making 90 cases. Some of  Carignane and a Viognier.

The mythos of their name comes from the song Amplify the Autumn from Cameron’s band Ten Teardrops. Their musical roots (he guitar player, she from a generational family of musicians from Mexico) inspired both the name of their domain and their core ethic–Wines of place, amplifying the voice of site.

They both come from the wine trade.

Cameron first in retail, then a Somm, now directing sales and hospitality for Presqui’ile Winery in Santa Maria where they make their wine. Marlen as a GM for local wineries till the birth of their son Miles in 2015.

They are self-taught artisans, learning the hard way, on a basic nuts and bolts level from working in local cellars, studying wines they fell in love with, pouring over tech sheets, winemaker interviews, old books.

They just did this. Few resources. No land owned. No vineyards leased. No facility they could call their own.

Increasing the original 90 cases in 2013 slowly to 1,000 in 2017, with the 2018 harvest, doubling to 2,000 cases while adding new varieties.

I discovered a key puzzle piece that helps me understand the narrative of their wines and the allure of their approach.

They start with an idea: For example, the love of Poulsard in the Jura from Overnoy and Puffeney and carbonic Carignan from the Roussillon.

Or the notion of removing time (vintage) from site expression tied to the idea of an endless loop from a favorite musician J. Dilla on his Donuts album.

They source maligned or obscure, late harvest grapes oozing with potential and acidity paying $2000/ton/avg. against the $25K a ton for Cab or $7-10K for Pinot in the county.

Partnering with small organic growers from Los Olivos District (Carignane, Counoise, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Riesling, Tempranillo). From Alisos Canyon (Viognier). From Santa Maria (Grenache Blanc, Refosco). (AVA map here.)

Discovering an expression that ties the idea to an approach, like partial carbonic for their Carignane or a reimagined Solera method (from Port) for their Merlot. Experiment, pull it all together and iterate over time.

Cameron and Marlen are building a wine label that represents their unique experience, expressed in singular, expertly-made and approachable wine that conveys the character of their birthplace, driven by the personality and perspective of their passion for music and art.

I can’t recommend these wines enough.

They are both equally delicious, soulful expressions of their grapes and the personalities of this quite lovely and self-effacing winemaking family wrapped in Santa Barbara County as a terroir unique unto itself.

Both the Carignane ($23/bottle) and the Solera Merlot ($25/bottle) are in stock at Chambers Street Wines.

I so enjoyed getting to know the family and chronicling this story.

A heartfelt thanks to Cameron and Marlen for sharing so openly with me. To their beautiful son Miles who protested but tolerated me keeping him from dinner as I skyped with his parents.

To my friend Ariana Rolich and the Chambers Street team for their friendship and tolerance of my incessant questions.  To Mike Foulk and the team at MFW Wines for bringing Amplify’s exceptional wines to market.

This quote from  a shared hero of the three of us, Masanobu Fukuoka (One-Straw Revolution) speaks volumes to who they are and their unique take on wine.

“Natural, do nothing farming, leaves time to write a haiku, or a song.”

**All photos from Cameron and Marlen.
___________________

Winemaker Notes 

2016 Carignane, Camp 4 Vineyard, Santa Ynez Valley

  • The grape that started it all with 1 ton of fruit bought in ‘013, now in the seventh vintage
  • Methodology:
    • Semi-carbonic maceration
    • Foot stomp bottom of bins with whole cluster, layer uncrushed whole cluster on top and seal, add CO2 once a day
    • Carbonic varies between 1-2 weeks
    • Press, finish in neutral wood, age undisturbed on lees for 5-6 months
    • Racked for bottling adding 8-10ppm SO2
  • Fruit is from Camp 4, planted in 1999, located on the Eastern end of the Santa Ynez Valley AVA, in the sub-AVA Los Olivos District. Hot and perfect for Carignane. Typically picked late September at potential alcohol of 13-13.5 and tons of acid (pH 3.2-3.3)
  • Gravelly loam soil on VSP trellis
  • Sustainably farmed. No herbicides, lots of owl and bat houses with cover crops

‘Lightworks’ Vol 1, Solera/for Dilla/For the endless loop, Santa Ynez Valley

  • Evolved out of a love of old school Napa Merlot and Bordeaux
  • A grape much maligned in SBC though naturally at home climate wise
  • Driving idea is removing time from site expression and searching for raw material to translate the idea of an endless loop from their favorite musician J. Dilla on his Donuts album where Lightworks is the seminal track
  • Solera Method: Must often thought of for port, reimagined for Merlot. Method for Vol 1—combined 15 gal from ‘015 with one barrel from ‘016 after malo was done, topped with ‘014 from bottle. Vol 2 is ‘016 and ‘017
  • Fruit certified organic from Coquelicot Vineyard in the Los Olivos District near the Santa Ynez River
  • Sandy loam soil with some gravel and clay, VSP trellised
  • Methodology:
    • Pick around 23-24 brix, when pH isreally low, like 3.3. De-stem but leave whole berry
    • Fermentations are hot peaking around 92, punching down by hand 2-3 times a day
    • Pumping over early on to prevent overly green or bitter flavors
    • Fermented in small bins through 2016; in 2017 fermenting in concrete and love the results
    • Aging is in neutral oak, adding sulfur to the Solera as needed. SO2 around 25ppm

Amplify Friends and Mentors