Dunites takes its name from a band of 1930s bohemians who walked away from city life to live among the dunes of the San Luis Obispo coast. The winery's spirit follows theirs: independent, place-driven, and quietly idealistic.
Backstory
Dunites Wine Co. was founded in 2015 by the husband-and-wife winemaking team of Tyler Eck and Rachel Goffinet Eck. They began with a single inaugural lot of syrah from Spanish Springs Vineyard near Pismo Beach, and have since built a small-production label celebrating the SLO Coast.
The Region
The wines come from the San Luis Obispo coast of California, a cool, maritime stretch where vineyards sit on uplifted seafloor and ancient sand dunes. The mild coastal climate favors grapes with bright acidity and moderate sugars, conditions Tyler and Rachel found ideally suited to the kind of wine they wanted to make.
Vineyards and Farming
Dunites works with a set of diverse coastal vineyard sites, sourcing fruit that reflects the marine sediment and sandy soils beneath the vines. The couple's training is deep: Tyler studied at UC Santa Barbara and took viticulture and oenology at Lincoln University in New Zealand, working at estates including Dry River, Stefano Lubiana, Domaine Francois Villard and Peay Vineyards, while Rachel earned a viticulture degree at Cal Poly and worked with producers in California and New Zealand.
Winemaking
Tyler prefers to call the wines traditional rather than natural, meaning wine made the old way: little or no added sulfur, no fining, and no filtration. The aim is purity and elegance that lets each coastal site speak for itself.
The Wines
Dunites focuses on cool-climate California classics, including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah and Grenache, alongside Albarino and a sparkling petillant naturel. Production is small and the wines are unadorned, made to show the cool coast rather than cellar tricks.
