Say When was born from a single barrel and a weekend commute. Rachel Silkowski DeAscentiis was working as an assistant winemaker in Lompoc and driving to Los Angeles most Fridays when she decided to make a wine of her own. That first barrel of Pinot Noir, bottled as RASI in 2013, became the seed of a label that now produces some of California's most thoughtful minimal-intervention wines.
Backstory
Rachel grew up in Tustin, California, and discovered winemaking as a high school senior. She studied Agricultural Business Management at Oregon State University, spending summers as an intern at Loring Wine Company before advancing to assistant winemaker there. Her first personal project, RASI, launched in 2013 with just 300 bottles, each labeled individually with actual wine applied to the paper. She met Michel DeAscentiis -- then working as a Creative Director in Los Angeles -- and together they formalized Say When in 2016. The couple divides their time between Lompoc, where the wines are made in a shared facility, and Los Angeles.
The Region
Say When draws from vineyards scattered across California's Central Coast, a broad appellation stretching from Monterey County south through Santa Barbara County. The cool maritime influence that tunnels through the Santa Ynez and Santa Maria valleys gives the region's grapes exceptional freshness and aromatic complexity, making it one of the best places on earth for Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and the array of Rhone and skin-contact varieties Rachel and Michel increasingly explore.
Vineyards and Farming
Say When does not own vineyards. Instead, the team sources from carefully selected growers whose farming meets a high bar: as of 2020, every vineyard source is certified Organic, Biodynamic, or Regenerative Organic+. This commitment to grower relationships allows Say When to experiment across a wider range of varieties and sites than would be possible from a single estate, while maintaining rigorous standards in the field.
Winemaking
Every decision in the winery is made jointly by Rachel and Michel. The approach is deliberately hands-on and minimal: native fermentations without commercial yeasts or added nutrients, and no additions beyond a judicious use of sulfur as a preservative when needed. No fining or filtration. Each wine is built around transparency and precision rather than manipulation -- Rachel's fine-dining winemaking background is visible in the structure and definition of every bottle.
The Wines
The portfolio has grown to seven labels including Pinot Noir, a rose of Mourvedre, and a skin-contact Grenache Blanc, alongside the original RASI. A separate line called Weird Parties pushes further into experimental territory. All wines are released in spring and fall direct allocations through the Say When website and wine club.
