About Us

Roy Kim, Proprietor of G. Khan Wines

G. Khan is my passion project expressing my love for wines that captures the best of the new world while using artisan old world methods. G. Khan is the byproduct of my nomadic adult life bouncing from South Central Los Angeles to Greenwich Village, with stops in Santa Barbara, Colorado, San Francisco, Vancouver, Costa Rica, South Korea and back to California combined with the name of my paranoid loveable rescue dog, named Genghis Khan, to bring out the warrior within him.

Origin of G. Khan and My Background in Wine

Gkhan is named after my rescue dog, Genghis Khan. My passion for wine started in my college days at University of California, Santa Barbara. While at law school in New York City, I worked at Astor Wine & Liquor at night and on weekends. I’ve been lucky enough to work in various areas of the wine business and have made wonderful friends who are passionate about wine. G. Khan is the result of those friendships.

Winemaking

James Sparks

James Sparks has become a star of the California wine scene through his award-winning work at Liquid Farm, and Kings Carey, his proprietary Santa Barbara County label crafting small-production wines in a minimalist, “keep it simple” style. James brings his artisan approach to the making of the wines at G. Khan — hand harvested whole cluster fruit from low yielding vineyards, hand sorted, native yeast fermentation, and foot stomped (with boots).

The Wine: I wanted to make a wine that is enjoyable to drink, fun to talk about, and speaks to you on an emotional level. A wine that as a wine nerd I can geek out about and a wine that I can proudly serve to my friends that just enjoy drinking wine. We strive to show the beautiful fruit from low yield vineyards while using old world techniques such as native yeast fermentation and minimal extraction, resulting in wines with restrained beautiful fruit, high acidity, and the structure to gracefully age. Our wines pair well with fish and poultry to all different types of meats, and pair especially well with Asian, Mediterranean, and spicy cuisines.

Radian Vineyard: The Radian Vineyard is famous for its extreme cool climate and naturally low yields which produce wines with intensity, strong minerality, and a depth of flavor even at lower alcohol levels. Radian is the western most vineyard along Santa Rosa Road in Santa Rita Hills and the soil is composed of clay, loam, and diatomaceous earth giving a distinct minerality to the wine. Yields range from less than 1 ton/acre to less than 2 tons/acre. The Radian Vineyard is owned by the owners of Screaming Eagle, an iconic wine from Napa.

Barrels: New Atelier French oak is balanced with neutral French oak barrels to balance the fruit and whole cluster aspects of the wine.

Cork: Diam 3. As a passionate fan of wine for over 30 years, nothing is worse than a corked wine or a prematurely aged wine. Diam has been tested by marquis wineries all over the world in its ability to ensure uniform closure while eliminating TCA “corked” taint. Diam is made from natural cork and only the suberin, the noblest part of the bark is kept. The cork is not printed or burnt to avoid any possibility of imparting different off flavors into the wine.

Wax: Our bottles are hand waxed to provide the optimal barrier to air or other contaminants.

Bottle: Our bottles are tinted “Antique Green” to protect the wine from light. The lip is thick to prevent chipping and breaking. The punt provides added strength to the structural integrity of the bottle without adding excess weight. The shape is a classic burgundy shape, yet still fits in most wine racks.