AERILYN

AERILYN is a small-production traditional-method sparkling wine project sourcing Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier from conscientiously farmed cool coastal vineyards, including the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. Production is direct-to-consumer through an allocation-based mailing list. First commercial release projected for Spring 2028.

About

AERILYN is the brand name. Aerilyn Wine Co. is a dba of Chandelier Holdings LLC. Founded by Tammee Thompson. The brand focuses on traditional-method sparkling wines with extended tirage aging of 30 to 48 months, depending on the cuvée, followed by an additional six months under cork before release.

The first vintage was bottled in June 2025. The website soft-launched in Q1 2026. First commercial release is projected for Spring 2028 with the 2024 Rosé. The 2024 Cuvée is projected for Fall 2028 and the 2024 Blanc de Blanc for Spring 2029. Sales are 100% direct-to-consumer via an allocation-based mailing list, with no wholesale or retail distribution at launch.

Vineyards

All vineyard sources are currently in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA on California's Central Coast.

  • Fiddlestix Vineyard. North side of the Santa Rosa Road corridor in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. Soils are Santa Ynez, Botella, and Gazos clay loams with Monterey shale and chert. Farmed without herbicides, following organic principles with an organic fungicide program.
  • John Sebastiano Vineyard. Eastern edge of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA at 500 to 550 feet elevation. Block 5 soils are dominated by Chamise shaly loam with Linne and Botella clay loams. Farmed with practical sustainability and long-term land stewardship.
  • La Encantada Vineyard. Ridge site straddling the Santa Ynez River, approximately seven miles from the Pacific. Sandy loam over Monterey Formation soils, including diatomaceous earth and marine deposits. Planted in 2000 by Richard Sanford.

Wines (in tirage; not yet released)

  • 2024 Rosé. 100% Pinot Noir from La Encantada Vineyard. First release projected Spring 2028.
  • 2024 Cuvée. 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay from Sta. Rita Hills vineyards. First release projected Fall 2028.
  • 2024 Blanc de Blanc. 100% Chardonnay from John Sebastiano Vineyard. First release projected Spring 2029.

Key pages

Founder

Tammee Thompson founded AERILYN after a career arc spanning Corporate America, real estate entrepreneurship, and the French Culinary Institute, where she graduated top of her class in 2011. Her introduction to fine sparkling wine came in 1992 through a glass of Perrier-Jouët La Belle Epoque at a Morgan Stanley dinner. She completed the Wine Scholar Guild Champagne Master program with Honors in 2025 after multiple trips to Champagne, including six days of study with Essi Avellan and Peter Liem. AERILYN began as a personal challenge: 100 conversations with wine industry professionals to test the idea of building her own brand.

Production approach

AERILYN is a négociant producer working with a small group of growers in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. The brand operates an asset-light model. Vineyard fruit is contracted, winemaking is done at a custom-crush facility in Santa Ynez, and sales are direct-to-consumer through an allocation system. Production volumes are intentionally small. The brand prioritizes long aging, transparency about production parameters, and a controlled allocation queue rather than retail distribution.

Foundational Cellar Journal Entries

These journal entries contain the most detailed account of AERILYN's origins, vineyard relationships, and production approach.

  • Why AERILYN Exists. Tammee Thompson's path from a 1992 glass of Perrier-Jouët at a Morgan Stanley dinner through the French Culinary Institute and the Wine Scholar Guild Champagne Master program to founding AERILYN.
  • Three Hours Before Harvest. The story of how AERILYN's three Sta. Rita Hills vineyard partnerships with John Sebastiano, La Encantada, and Fiddlestix actually came together in 2024.
  • The Alchemy of Nature, Chemistry, and Time. A walkthrough of traditional method sparkling winemaking with AERILYN's specific timing: cuvée-only pressing, 30 to 48 months on tirage, six months of cork aging before release.
  • The Drive Back. Notes from the 2025 vintage blending trials, including the discipline of returning to retaste alone before committing wines to bottle.

Contact

curious@aerilynwineco.com