Birichino was founded in 2008 by John Locke and Alex Krause, both formerly of Bonny Doon Vineyard, and is based in Santa Cruz. The St Georges bottling draws primarily on the decades-old Besson planting at the base of the Santa Cruz Mountains, a source of very small-berried, floral Pinot Noir. To this the pair add older selections from a site planted high in the Chalone AVA and from the remote Lime Kiln Valley just over the Gabilan Mountains, giving a Central Coast blend of complementary parcels. Farming favours old, low-yielding vines and a minimal-intervention philosophy aimed at freshness and site expression. The 2021 season across the Central Coast was dry and moderate, yielding concentrated, aromatic fruit.

The parcels were fermented separately, averaging around 35% whole cluster, with a higher proportion of whole bunches retained in the Chalone and Lime Kiln Valley lots. After several days in stainless and open bins, fermentation proceeded with native yeasts, and a preliminary blend was moved to neutral barrel in October. The wine was racked only once, when final barrel selections were made, and bottled unfiltered in July 2022. The approach is deliberately low-intervention, with neutral oak used for maturation rather than flavour, preserving the red-floral aromatics, textured depth and lifted, savoury character of the blend.