Pop's White 2024, Pop's Wine Co.

A Swiss grape makes itself at home on California’s North Coast in Pop’s White 2024. Petite Arvine leads the blend at 39%, joined by 25% Chardonnay, 20% Sauvignon Blanc, and 16% Aligoté. Closely associated with Switzerland’s Valais region, Petite Arvine is an uncommon find in a California bottle—and here it has a substantial role.

Citrus zest, crisp orchard fruit, floral aromas, and ripe tropical fruit give the wine an expressive nose, with a subtle briny note adding a savory edge. The palate is light and refreshing, with lively acidity keeping the fruit bright. It’s an inviting white for seafood, lemony chicken, and vegetable dishes that include herbs, cheese, or a little butter.

Pop’s Wine Co. is the collaboration of Woody Hambrecht and Josh Lavis, named in honor of Woody’s grandfather. We’d open this bottle with roasted cod and fennel, chicken schnitzel, or a leek-and-Gruyère tart.

About the Winery

Pop's Wine Co. is the collaboration of third-generation California winemaker Woody Hambrecht and wine-industry veteran Josh Lavis. The name honors Woody's grandfather, who planted vineyards throughout Sonoma County in the 1970s. Woody trained with Gary Farrell and Shane Finley at Kistler before taking on vineyard work of his own, and he has managed Grist Vineyard for more than a decade. The project turns that family history toward wines that feel contemporary: organically farmed, minimally handled and built for the table rather than the trophy case.

Grist Vineyard sits within Wine Creek Ranch, about five miles northwest of Healdsburg and roughly 1,000 feet up Bradford Mountain in the Dry Creek Valley AVA. The 200-acre ranch includes about 70 acres of vines, planted primarily to Zinfandel and Syrah with smaller blocks of Petite Sirah, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier. Shallow, iron-rich red clay and volcanic soils provide drainage, while organic compost and diverse cover crops support soil life, beneficial insects and erosion control. Hambrecht uses native fermentations and a light cellar touch to translate that farming into bright, new-school versions of California heritage wines.