A Game of Rhônes
This flight revolves around the varietals of the Rhône Valley in France. We will be traveling to Navarra, Spain; Minervois, France; California; and of course - the Rhône Valley. It ranges from lighter bodied, to full bodied reds.
Gaupasa Garnacha
Grapes: 100% Garnacha
Place: Navarra, Spain
Process: Organic & Biodynamic. Fermented in Stainless Steel. This is as close to drinking wine in a casual bar in Spain as it gets. Clean pure Garnacha fermented in stainless steel preserving the soft red cherry fruit and easy clean balanced acidity. Made the old school way from Biodynamic farms that grow olives and vegetables with little intervention to preserve it's pure spirit. Gaupasa is a Basque word that loosely means staying out all night, this is a fun and easy wine made in that spirit.
Family: Tradition, good work, love for our terroir, commitment to quality, commitment to oneself, taste for health; are some of the features that define the work of the people of Navarrsotillo. In our family-run winery founded by the brothers Andrés and Ramón Serrano, technology and innovation are adequately combined with tradition in the cultivation of farms inherited from our parents using organic and biodynamic techniques to obtain the best wines. We firmly believe that the health of our soil is of utmost importance in obtaining quality wines, therefore, in our daily work there is no room for synthetic chemical products. All our production, both in La Rioja and Navarra, is supervised and certified by the Council of Ecological Agricultural Production of La Rioja, the Council of Ecological Agricultural Production of Navarra, and the Demeter International Certification Office in Spain.
For our clients, Navarrsotillo is synonymous with tradition, artisan agriculture and good work; in short, high quality wines.
Bottle: $19 | Glass: $8
Lunar Apogé “Pays d’Oc”
Grapes: 100% Syrah
Place: Pays d’Oc, France
Process: This wine comes from Pays D’oc, towards the south of France. 100% dry farmed, estate grown fruit. No chemicals used (pesticides, fertilizers, additives, etc). 100% Organic and Biodynamic Certified by Demeter. The 25 year old vines are strung on a traditional trellis. Nocturnally harvested by hand throughout the first half of September to prevent oxidation. The wine is spontaneously fermented with native yeasts in small stainless steel tanks and undergoes malolactic fermentation. It is then aged for an additional 4 months in concrete tanks. Minimal fining/ filtration.
Family: The Leperchois family built the winery in Roquemaure in 1974 and converted the estate to organic in 1997 and to biodynamic practices in 2009.
Fabien is mindful of all of the vineyard's natural surroundings, and takes inspiration from their rhythms. The vines are dry farmed and no chemicals are used. Instead, composted grape pomace is used as fertilizer in the fall, plowed in by hand around the base of the vines. The vines are painstakingly cared for by hand throughout the year: vigorous pruning in the fall, disbudding in the spring and thinning of excess clusters in the summer. Finally, the grapes are harvested by hand.
In the winery, traditional methods are used to foster the most natural and complete embodiment of the fruits of the vine. Spontaneous fermentation takes place with native yeasts, no winemaking additives are used and the wines are very minimally fined or filtered. The results are elegant wines - beautiful expressions of soil, place, and the passion of the men and women who toil there.
Bottle: $27 | Glass: $12
Domaine de Courbissac “Les Traverses”
Grapes: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre
Place: Languedoc-Rousillon, France
Process: Certified organic. 15-30 year old vines planted in clay limestone, sandstone & gravel. Grapes are hand-harvested as a whole-cluster at heights of 250-300 meters. The wines undergoes a natural yeast fermentation in tank and concrete and then is aged for a further 6 months in concrete vats/ eggs. The wine is unfired and unfiltered.
Family: Reinhard Brundig, a successful film producer from Germany, founded Domaine de Courbissac in 2002. What drew him to this property located in the La Livinière sub-zone of Minervois was three-fold: established and well-tended vines, the complexity of the soils, and the proximity to La Montagne Noire. At the heart of Domaine de Courbissac are 90-year-old Grenache, 70-year-old Carignan, and 70-year-old Cinsault, as well as some solidly middle-aged Syrah and Mourvedre around 40 years-old. Farmed biodynamically since 2002, Reinhard has expanded the size of the vineyards, now totaling 30 hectares, by planting some additional Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre.
At the end of 2013, Reinhard partnered with the talented Brunnhilde Claux, a young vigneronne with an impressive resumé. Brunnhilde got her start at Domaine Gauby, where she learned how to handle the natural exuberance of grapes grown in the generous Mediterranean climate. From there, she moved on to Terroir al Limit in the Priorat, where she worked with Dominik Huber for three vintages before Reinhard tapped her to lead Domaine de Courbissac.
Bottle: $27 | Glass: $12
Big Basin “Homestead”
Grapes: 33% Carignane, 25% Syrah, 21% Grenache, 19% Mourvedre and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Place: Monterey, California
Process: Our Homestead represents the extraordinary granitic and limestone terroir of the Gabilan Mountains where we sourced the majority of the fruit. Grenache from Brosseau, Coastview and our estate vineyard provides the backbone of this wine. Additional components include: 90+ year old, dry farmed Carignane from the Cienega Valley located below Calera's Mount Harlan AVA and Syrah from the Coastview Vineyard located just miles South of Mt. Harlan at 2400 ft as well as Brosseau vineyard in Chalone.
Family: Bradley is our founder, vineyard manager, and guide, uncompromising in his commitment to producing authentic and compelling wines, farming organically, and working with the best vineyard sites throughout the Santa Cruz and Gabilan Mountains.
Bradley was drawn to California post college for the natural beauty of the Sierras where he climbed, backpacked, and skied. He gradually made his way down the peninsula to Portola Valley and eventually to Boulder Creek in the heart of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Under the guidance of Rhône Ranger John Alban, Bradley planted our Rattlesnake Rock Estate vineyard in 2000, vinified our first vintage in 2002, and built our winery in 2003 using redwoods sustainably harvested from the Estate.
Bradley presently serves on the Board of Directors for the Santa Cruz Mountain Winegrowers Association. He lives on the property with his two young sons, Kiran and Lakota, both of whom love grapes and tractors.
Bottle: $35 | Glass: $15