Micro-négoce
Samuel Louis Smith is a micro-négociant based in Santa Cruz, CA, focused on some of the coolest and most rugged sites of the Monterey Bay. Mountainous terroir, organic viticulture, and minimal intervention in the cellar are tenets of the project. SLS focuses on chardonnay, gamay noir, pinot noir, and cool-climate syrah, from small vineyards scattered around the Santa Cruz Mountains, Gabilan Mountains, Santa Lucia Highlands, and Carmel Coast. The wines embody a neoclassical style where lower alcohol and higher acidity, stem inclusion in the reds, and native fermentations with little to no additions create wines of place and purity, aroma and structure. As a micro-négoce, Sam primarily purchases grapes from small, independent growers, and all vinification is done at the winery in Santa Cruz. In 2024, Sam took over the farming of Thomasen’s Split Rail Vineyard, a 0.75 acre parcel of syrah in the Corralitos district of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Over the course of his career, Sam has worked in Santa Barbara (Brander, Tres Hermanas, Margerum), Australia (Mitchelton), the Willamette Valley (Tendril), the Northern Rhône (Villard), and Champagne (Nowack & Sélèque). Until recently, he was head winemaker of Morgan Winery, a pioneer of organic viticulture in the Santa Lucia Highlands. The future vision of SLS is a program focused on estate grown grapes. For now, Sam is dedicated to sourcing fruit from the most distinctive, sustainable, and organically farmed vineyards- highlighting the best of the Central Coast’s mountainous sites. SLS produces about 1,800 cases annually.
Background
Sam studied Economics, French, and Spanish at UC Santa Barbara. A nagging desire for wine knowledge and proximity to good surf led Sam to Bordeaux- the perfect place to spend a semester abroad. Coinciding with the iconic vintage of 2009, it opened his eyes to the world of haute cuisine and fine wine. Though somewhat reticent and cold, Sam’s Bordelaise host family ate and drank quite well- pairings such as confit de canard with ’89 Margaux showed that the perfect marriage of food and wine, enjoyed by close friends and family, truly was the pinnacle.
Traveling, tasting, working, an immersing laid the foundation for the SLS vision. Making pinot noir in the Willamette Valley and cool-climate syrah in the Northern Rhône, and cutting his teeth as assistant winemaker for Margerum Wine Company gave him the opportunities to find where his palate and California’s cool-climate, mountainous Central Coast terroir converged.
Watercolor paintings, found on the labels, are Sam’s originals.
