Terah Wine Co. Verdejo San Benito County 2024

Verdejo is Rueda’s grape, and almost nobody in California plants it, which is a large part of why Terah Bajjalieh does. Hers grows at Paicines Ranch in San Benito County, a property known for regenerative farming, in a corner of California that has quietly become a magnet for winemakers chasing freshness instead of ripeness. She works with a light hand in the cellar and lets the site talk. The wine comes in around 12.5% alcohol and stays light on its feet, with candied citrus, Meyer lemon, and lemon verbena. A genuinely unusual bottle that doesn’t make you work for it.