Michael Thomas, the owner of Wrath Wines in Soledad, Calif., knows grapes. He also knows ancient Italian history, and he learned it the hard way — one scoop of dirt at a time. A professor of archeology at the University of Texas, Thomas currently runs two excavations in Italy: a Roman site near Pompeii and an Etruscan site northeast of Florence. This information may seem extraneous and irrelevant but maybe not, because in a manner of speaking, all roads lead to Rome.

The winery’s name itself harks back to Roman roots to pay tribute to the chilling maritime fog that spills into the Salinas Valley as well as the howling winds that rumble through the vineyards. “For the ancient Romans, ira or wrath, was a tool of a god, an unstoppable anger driven by forces greater than man,” says Thomas.

On his website he also refers to Robert Plant, Jackson Pollock and Eric Clapton (pre-“Tears of Heaven”) as purveyors of edgy power. He might also have referenced his own wines. Wrath Wines (formerly San Saba Vineyards until purchased and rejuvenated by Thomas in 2007) produces about 3,200 cases, barely enough to make a blip on the vino-meter. But Thomas divides that into 18 different skews, meaning that he bottles only 200 cases or so of each single vineyard wine. This approach tends to irritate his sales folks, who try to keep up with all the paperwork and are prevented from popping open just a few different wines to write large orders. But it ensures that each wine bears witness to his distinct style — lean, muscular and also refined. At a recent Santa Lucia Highlands tasting I sampled several. In the spirit of “Best of the Bins” I include one lower-priced Wrath wine, the Ex Anima chardonnay, but call your attention to this terroir-obsessed winery’s entire lineup. Dial in “The Piano Has Been Drinking” by Tom Waits and enjoy.

Wrath Ex Anima 2010 Chardonnay, Monterey, $18

Gravelly loam is chardonnay’s friend and a co-conspirator in producing California chardonnays that tilt in the direction of worthy food companions. Steel-tank aging elevates the quince, lemon rind and luscious white peach in this wine, whose stone fruit intermingles with a tantalizing tropical note of pineapple. There is also the “edgy power” of minerality here, and no shouting to the balcony with loud notes of oak vanillin. In short, a grown-up wine for grown-up palates, the kind of serious wine that redeems chardonnay from the caramel candy bin. In case you’re asking, “ex anima” means “from the soul” in Latin.

Wrath Tondre Grapefield 2009 Pinot Noir, Monterey, $49

There’s a reason that single-vineyard wines cost more. You can’t legally blend in more that 5 percent of any other vineyard’s wine. The cost of these grapes is high, and if you’re producing small case lots, 200-300 or so, you will quickly discover that any profits will get sucked up into prepping for the next crush. In other words, it’s a labor of love. In this instance, there’s enough amour to go around. Thomas loves the Tondre Grapefield in the heart of the Santa Lucia Highlands appellation for its Pommard and Dijon clones — in English, for its blend of tannic and fruit-forward clusters. Only two per shoot are picked to ensure a concentration of flavor; the rest are clipped off or dropped. Wrath’s pinot noir emphasizes the dark berry tart qualities that emerge, and coaxes them out with light oak treatment. There’s mocha java here as well, and body, but nothing so dominant that it upsets the fine balance that marks any well-produced wine. I was taken as well by its silky mouth feel. Wrath’s other pinot noirs, including its least expensive, the $22 Ex Anima, are also winners.

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Resources

• Wrath Ex Anima 2010 Chardonnay, Monterey — best price: $17.79 per bottle
• Wrath Tondre Grapefield 2009 Pinot Noir, Monterey — best price: $49 per bottle
• The Etruscan Project (video)