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Inspired by the crisp minerality of Chablis and the elegance of Japanese design, Xander Soren has crafted Habari, a Chardonnay that is as structurally precise as it is coastal and wild. The soul of this wine is the El Jabali Vineyard, an organic site planted in 1983 by the pioneering Santa Barbara wine grower Richard Sanford. The cool climate, steep terrain, and Monterey shale and diatomaceous soils of the Sta. Rita Hills impart a signature saline mineral streak. As in Chablis, new oak is kept to a minimum to keep the vineyard's raw energy and high-altitude acidity in focus. On the nose, the 2024 "Habari" opens with lifted orchard fruit and white floral aromatics, leading to a textural palate defined by slate, green apple, and a crisp, saline finish. To highlight its lean structure, pair it with Otoro (fatty tuna) sashimi or vegetable tempura dusted with sea salt.
Xander Soren is the mind behind a radical wine venture that’s been years in the making: developing a high-end Pinot Noir designed specifically to pair with Japanese cuisine. After a career in Silicon Valley that included over 20 years with Apple, where he worked on such iconic products as the iPod, Garageband, and iPhone ringtones, he turned his attention to a more genteel set of passions: wine, Japanese culture and Japanese cuisine. Yet his vision and business model are a far cry not only from fast-paced Silicon Valley but from what’s typical in California wine as well. For in addition to honing his brand to appeal to Japanese connoisseurs, he’s decided to limit his production to around 600 cases per vintage - a boutique wine business for sure!
For Xander’s style of Pinot Noir, he is focusing on cooler appellations, especially the Santa Rita Hills, which, because of its unique terroir, can produce wines that rival those of Burgundy. Xander sources fruit from historic vineyards such as La Encantada, Sanford & Benedict, Sierra Mar, and Olivet Lane. He is also honored to use grapes from Yuki Vineyard, owned by Japanese producer Akiko Freeman on the Sonoma Coast.
Xander’s winemaker is Shalini Sekhar, a rising star (2015 Winemaker of the Year at the San Francisco International Wine Competition, the San Francisco Chronicle’s 2019 Winemaker to Watch) who has made wine at Williams Selyem, Stag’s Leap, and her own label called Ottavino. She also produces wine - especially Pinot Noir — for a number of small boutique labels through her custom crush operation. Winemaking at Xander Soren is non-intrusive and labor-intensive, which necessarily results in limited production. Not only vineyard blocks but clones are elevated and aged separately in carefully-selected French oak barrels and blended before bottling to ensure excellent balance. Refreshing acidity, bright flavors balanced by darker notes and character, and, above all, lower levels of alcohol are necessary to pair with sukiyaki, wagyu, tempura, and, perhaps, even sushi. Many of the wines are produced in amounts of less than 100 cases.
| Country | USA |
| Region | California |
| Appellation(s) | Sta. Rita Hills (Santa Barbara) |
| Winery | Xander Soren |
| Vintage | 2024 |
| Color | White |
| Varietal(s) | Chardonnay |
| Closure | Cork |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Bottle Size | 8.2 x 29.5 |
| Case Size | 34.5 x 26.0 x 30.0 |
| Alcohol | 13.7% |
| Product Code | BP24HC |
| UPC | NONE |
| MLF | 0% |
After pressing of whole clusters, the juice was transferred to mostly neutral barrels for primary fermentation on selected yeasts. Malolactic fermentation was suppressed, and the wine aged 10 months in French oak (10% new, 80% 2-year-old) and stainless steel (10%) barrels.