Altitude and Ocean: Two Californian Estates Worth Knowing
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The first thing most people associate with Californian wine is generosity: ripe fruit, sunshine, a plush approachability that makes it easy to enjoy from the first glass. That is not wrong. California's best-known styles have earned their following, and the state produces wine across a wider spectrum of styles and climates than its reputation often suggests.
Two estates on its cooler edges (one high in the Mayacamas Mountain Range, one on Santa Barbara's coastal bench) produce wines that sit much closer to Burgundy and the northern Rhône than to anything the prevailing image of California would suggest. We have been pouring both at private client tastings in Singapore for the past year. The reaction is consistent: genuine surprise, followed by a second glass.
Stonestreet Estate Vineyards, Alexander Valley
Altitude is the defining fact of Stonestreet. The estate occupies the Mayacamas Mountain Range above Alexander Valley in Sonoma, spanning 5,500 acres of volcanic terrain at elevations most Californian producers never reach. Nights are cold, soils are rocky and mineral-rich, and the yields are naturally low. The vines have to work.
The Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is the introduction to what this environment produces: dark fruit, firm structure, a mineral thread that runs through the finish. It is not a wine for immediate gratification. Give it thirty minutes in the decanter and it begins to open; give it five years in the cellar and it will be something else entirely. The Rockfall, named for the volcanic soils of a single high-altitude vineyard, is the more intense expression: built for the long term, not immediately approachable, and considerably more interesting for it.
The Upper Barn Chardonnay is the wine that surprises people most at Stonestreet. A single-vineyard white from high-altitude old vines, the old-vine richness gives it a texture and weight that most Californian Chardonnays never reach, yet the natural mountain acidity keeps it precise and focused. What it has is mineral precision, a cool-climate acidity that holds the palate, and a length that compares comfortably with serious white Burgundy. These are not words we use lightly.
What to drink it with in Singapore: Sio bak is the secret weapon across all three Stonestreet wines, and perhaps most surprisingly alongside the Upper Barn Chardonnay. The old-vine richness and high mountain acidity cut through rendered pork fat with as much conviction as the reds. Beyond that: roast duck with savoury jus for the Estate Cabernet, prime ribeye or chargrilled lamb loin chops for the Rockfall, and butter-poached lobster or HK-style steamed soon hock (Marble Goby) with supreme soy sauce for the Upper Barn.
Cambria Estate Winery, Santa Maria Valley
Santa Barbara County is a different proposition entirely. The Santa Maria Valley runs east to west (one of the few transverse valleys in North America), which allows the Pacific to push cold fog and coastal air deep inland. The result is a growing season averaging 200 days, the longest in California. Slow ripening means sugars build gradually, natural acidity is preserved, and the wines arrive with a freshness that genuinely resembles cool-climate Europe rather than the sun-baked image most people carry of California.
Cambria was founded in 1986 by Barbara Banke and Jess Jackson. Katherine and Julia Jackson, Barbara's daughters, now run the estate. The labels bear their names. The Katherines' Vineyard Chardonnay is the most accessible wine in the range: bright, coastal, clean, the kind of bottle that suits a Sunday afternoon without demanding too much from the person holding it. The Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir is more considered: red cherry, fine tannins, a lightness of touch that makes it one of the more food-friendly reds we stock.
Barbara's Clone 667 deserves its own paragraph. The name refers to Dijon Clone 667: Burgundian Pinot Noir genetic material, planted directly from France. The result is thicker skins, deeper colour, and a structure that sets it apart from everything else in the Cambria range. Back vintages of the 667 are available in the Singapore cellar now, and they are opening up into something genuinely compelling. This is the bottle for clients who already know their Burgundy and want to understand what happens when you plant the same grape in California's most Burgundian climate.
The Tepusquet Vineyard Syrah rounds the range out in an unexpected direction. Cool-climate Syrah from the original Tepusquet bench: peppery, structured, distinctly northern Rhône in character. It has nothing to do with the broad, jammy Shiraz most people in Singapore recognise. At this price point, it is genuinely difficult to find a comparable bottle.
What to drink it with in Singapore: Pan-seared salmon is the anchor for Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir: the acidity cuts the oil cleanly, while the wine's sage and dried herb character finds an echo in crispy-skin duck breast with red currant jus or a wild mushroom risotto with Parmesan. Barbara's Clone 667 moves into darker territory: Dongpo braised pork belly, roast duck, or roast quail and chicken with herb butter. For the Tepusquet Syrah, black pepper beef and grilled short ribs. The wine carries rotundone, the compound responsible for black pepper character in cool-climate Syrah, and the seasoning mirrors it directly.
Shop the wines
Take your pick to explore and enjoy these exceptional wines.
Shop Californian Discovery
6 bottles · S$365 including GST (usual S$406)
Comprises:
- 2x Katherines' Vineyard Chardonnay Cambria 2023 · S$55
- 2x Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir Cambria 2021 · S$56
- 1x Tepusquet Vineyard Syrah Cambria 2017 · S$72
- 1x Cabernet Sauvignon Stonestreet Estate 2018 · S$112
Shop Californian Prestige
4 bottles · S$659 including GST (usual S$732)
Comprises:
- 1x Chardonnay Upper Barn Stonestreet 2018 · S$245
- 1x Cabernet Sauvignon Rockfall Stonestreet 2017 · S$245
- 1x Julia's Signature Pinot Noir Cambria 2016 · S$120
- 1x Barbara's Clone 667 Pinot Noir Cambria 2017 · S$122
Complimentary delivery on orders above S$350 inc gst.
Browse the full Californian collection here.
Ready to explore the lineup? All wines featured in this guide are available now at owcsg.com. Enjoy complimentary delivery straight to your doorstep across Singapore on orders over SGD 350.
Cris Lu is Sales Manager, Private Clients at Corney & Barrow Singapore. When she isn't hunting down artisanal hidden gems or decoding terroirs, she is experimenting with tropical wine pairings over local hawker feasts.
Have a question about a bottle or building your cellar?
Reach Cris directly: cris.lu@corneyandbarrow.com
Call the team: +65 6221 8530
General Enquiries: owcsg@corneyandbarrow.com