Updated August 2022
We first met Lily Hays in Los Olivos tasting at one of our favorite local wineries, SAMsARA. Lily is genuinely kind and engaging, educating us on the beautiful Santa Barbara region.
While working at SAMsARA as Director of Hospitality and Education, Lily is starting her own private label, Lily Hays Wines where she focuses on Gamay Noir. We were lucky enough to try her wines and were astounded; each bottle offered dynamic character and complex representation of what some consider a “glug glug” grape.
Our interview with Startup Winemaker, Lily Hays.
Wine Scribes: So how did you get started in wine?
Lily: I grew up in Santa Barbara and was fortunate enough to have friends in the wine industry as a little kid. We would go to the valley for May Party, to help with harvest and to stomp grapes at Whitcraft Winery. Everyone around me was positive, generous and energized and I loved the smells, sounds and vibe of the winery. I knew that wine would always be a part of my life and hoped I could be a “cool winemaker” someday. I was inspired by the hard work and enthusiasm I saw all around me and never wanted to let that part of me go.
WS: That energy and enthusiasm is hard to beat–especially during a harvest or an epic tasting. What made you want to start your own label?
LH: I have always loved Gamay and in 2020 at the height of the pandemic was tasting (outdoors!) at Pence Winery. I have worked with this fruit in the past and am inspired by their dedication to the land and to growing exceptionally high-quality fruit. When [Pence’s] GM asked me when I was going to make my own wine, I replied “when you sell me some Gamay!”
A few months later I got a call that he could probably get me one ton of Gamay if I was interested, and I jumped at the opportunity – what else was I doing during lockdown anyways? I drove up a few weeks later and picked up my first vintage of fruit.
Making my own wine was truly transformative-I felt so connected to this place that I love so much and finally felt a connection to the land, the people and the history of top tier Santa Barbara County winemaking. I was bit by the bug the day I cruised down the 101 with my dog, Brodie, and with a bin full of perfect fruit, headed back to [SAMsARA winery] to sort, stomp and ferment a batch of wine with my name on it.
We also happened to pick on my grandma’s birthday, September 2. She was the most influential person in my life and although she wasn’t on earth for my first vintage, she is definitely by my side in this crazy journey. I know this because the following vintage we went to taste Gamay from another vineyard that I was sourcing from in late August. Thinking we would be weeks out we were surprised that it was almost ready and when we alerted the picking crew – they said, “how about we pick on September 2nd?” So for the second vintage in a row, from completely different sites, we picked Gamay on her birthday – hence the name “Gramay Gamay” on my bottles.
WS: Gramay Gamay! That’s such a catchy title. Nice to bottle up (no pun intended) a bit of history alongside the terroir and year’s climate. Looking to the future in an ideal world, where do you see the business in ten years?
LH: I think about this often and don’t quite know where this journey will take me but if I had to tell you what the “dream” is I’d say I’d like to be on vintage 12 of Lily Hays Wines. I’d have a portfolio of all the varietals I love: Gamay, Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo, Chenin Blanc, Picpoul and Chardonnay.
In this fantasy I’m still making under 500 cases/year – but in my garage, with some old but reliable equiptment and my dog overseeing. I am also passionate about education and currently host small, bespoke wine education events – I’d love to bring those tastings to a larger audience in Santa Barbara and show more people why the world of wine is so unique and special.
Lily Hays Wines, Santa Barbara County
Vintages released: 2020, 2021
Cases Produced: 70/yr
Varietal: Gamay Noir
WS: Who would you say has had the biggest impact on your personal winemaking style?
LH: I grew up with Drake Whitcraft and did my first harvest with Whitcraft Winery in 2015. His minimalist approach to winemaking is so intimate and so perfectly showcases the terroir of the fruit he sources. He puts his thumbprint on the wine by not manipulating his fruit in any way – he lets the grapes tell the story of where they’re from, the soil and the climate. I love the pure, honest expression of the varietal his wines showcase and I hope to do the same in my winemaking.
I am also influenced hugely by the team and vision at Domaine de la Côte (Sashi Moorman and Rajat Parr), where I worked in 2019. John Faulkner leads the production charge there and inbues beauty to his wines with his kindness, his support of his fellow winemakers and cellar hands and his calming energy. I think wine takes on the personality of the team making them and this place is full of passionate, dedicated humans that create an air of inclusion and enthusiasm that really makes their wines stand out in a crowd.
WS: We can appreciate all the inspiration and passion that has motivated you so far. Let’s talk about the downsides. What is one of the biggest challenges in the wine world?
LH: It’s hard to try to do something that so many people before you have done so much better-to stop comparing yourself to the masters and believe in your own journey. To truly appreciate the inherent value of something you’ve created, which will be unlike anything that’s ever created in the future.
WS: Speaking of Whitcraft and Domaine de la Cote (swoon x2), what’s the best bottle you’ve ever tasted?
LH: Shit this is a hard one but I had a 1987 Williams Seylum Rochioli Vineyard Pinot Noir (birthyear wine) with the DDLC crew, courtesy of Raj Parr, that was so special I will never forget it. It’s not the wine but the people you share it with and on that particular night I was surrounded with the most wonderful humans in my life and it was unforgettable.
WS: How about your favorite unique wine pairing? Favorite wine region? Besides where you are currently.
LH: Cool-climate Grenache and Indian food! I don’t know why but this always does it for me. Region.. Probably the Jura/Savoie – so many cool, esoteric varietals and production methods there!
WS: Thank you so much Lily. How can people get in contact, taste or purchase bottles?
LH: You can email me at lily@lilyhayswines.com and we can get you some tasty juice!
