Ophiolite Cellars crafts small-batch, single-varietal wines with a sense of place. Winemaker Nicole Salengo Lee leverages her background in geology to create wines that tell a story in every sip.

Ophiolite Cellars: Wines that reflect unique terroir

Founded in 2024 by Nicole Salengo Lee, Ophiolite Cellars offers a carefully curated lineup of single-varietal wines that reflect their unique terroir. Nicole explains, “This whole project is about an appreciation for nature and how wine is very connected to nature.” 

Classic Wines Reimagined

Nicole enjoys unexpected riffs on classic wines. Often, the subtle differences in expression are due to the geological makeup of each vineyard.

Nicole currently sources winegrapes from three vineyards across Napa and Sonoma. Her personal palate heavily influences her selections. Explaining how she vets potential vineyards, she notes, “First, I taste wine from that area or even from that specific vineyard. And if it wows me, that’s when I pursue it.”

Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon

People know Napa for fruit-forward Cabs, Ophiolite produces a more acidic, lower-alcohol version that leans toward savory. She elaborates, “What I like to say at Ophiolite is that rocks equal flavor.” Reaching for a cantaloupe-sized rock, she continues, “This specific rock that I’d like to talk about, this is actually a volcanic tuft – and this came from the vineyard that the grapes that go into my Coombsville Cabernet grow in. What’s special about the soil is the flavor that it imparts to the Cabernet. This is more savory, a crushed rock flavor. It’s very elegant, has some spices, some dried herbs. I just fell in love with the Coombsville Cab the first time I tried it.” 

Russian River Merlot

Nicole is especially proud of her flagship wine, Ophiolite’s Russian River Merlot. She smiles and admits, “I didn’t think I liked Merlot, and this converted me. The first time I tasted wine made from Padroni Vineyard’s fruit, I fell in love.” Russian River’s cooler climate yields a more structured, acidic Merlot – a departure from the jammy Merlots often associated with the varietal. Nicole adds, “One thing that’s great about these wines is they’re lower alcohol – only 13.6 for a big red. I try to pick them earlier than a lot of the California style is right now. That preserves some nice acidity, making the wines very food-friendly. It tastes great with cheeses, but they also can stand alone.”

What IS Ophiolite

Nicole’s brand was inspired by her passion for geology. Nicole explains, “Ophiolite is the name of a specific rock here in California in the coastal range. It’s an ancient seafloor specimen that’s actually been uplifted. So ophiolites actually are pieces of ancient ocean crust that are in the mountains – and they’re right here in California.” 

Ophiolite Cellars: Now featured at The Rind

Ophiolite Cellar’s Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon is part of the CA GROWN seasonal menu specials at The Rind. Nicole exclaims, “I am so excited that Ophiolite Cellars is featured at The Rind.”

The Rind owner, Sara Arbabian, suggests pairing the Ophiolite Cabernet Sauvignon with another CA GROWN seasonal item, the Roasted Brussels Sprouts. While Nicole agrees that the two are complementary, she adds, “One dish that they are serving that I think would pair really well with this beautiful Coombsville Cabernet is Not Your Dad’s Mac and Cheese. It has four different cheeses, including Point Reyes Blue Cheese, which is produced by a woman, relatively locally. It’s very comforting and cozy on these foggy, cool days. But, yeah, it’s a perfect pairing. Perfect.”

Visit The Rind Restaurant and Cheese Bar

1801 L. Street, Ste. 40

Sacramento, CA 95811

Open daily for lunch and dinner. Check the website for updated hours. 

Look for CA GROWN seasonal specials at these Sacramento farm-to-table restaurants! 

Women in Agriculture: Nicole Salengo Lee

Nicole’s long-standing love of nature began on the East Coast, where a childhood fascination with the earth beneath her feet inspired her to study geology. That path led her to California — and eventually to winemaking.

While working at a Sacramento-area wine shop during college, conversations with UC Davis viticulture and enology professors revealed the connection between geology and winemaking. Excited to explore the relationship between the two, Nicole joined a start-up winery and earned a degree in Viticulture and Enology from UC Davis, laying the foundation for her career and ultimately, the creation of Ophiolite Cellars.

Ophiolite Winery is a self-described one-woman show. While Nicole enjoys having complete control over the winemaking process, she’s also required to wear many different hats. She works closely with the growers, visiting each vineyard as needed and transporting harvested grapes to Matchbook Wines, the custom-crush facility she partners with. 

Being a woman in an industry historically dominated by men can be challenging at times. Still, Nicole credits people like Mark West and  Patrick and Bobbin Mulvaney with helping her find her way. She explains, “Sure, it’s been a challenge, but I think that’s what’s kind of exciting about it. I always love a challenge – but I’ve been really lucky. Lots of people have given me a chance. That side of the industry is what I really love – the people supporting each other. It’s very special.” Pausing, she reflects and adds, “I do think perhaps I’ve had to prove myself a little more. But I am finally at a point in my life and career where I have the confidence that I know I can make great wine.”

Article by Hilary Rance. Photography by Hilary Rance and Alycia Moreno.