The Explorer: REDs
New Members
Rootdown Cellars “Jane’s Vineyard” Sangiovese
From the winemaker: "Consistent with the previous vintage (one of the reasons I love this site) - clean, bright, lively cherry, cranberry and strawberry with fresh resinous herbs — think thyme and lavender— on the nose with a lean, super pretty finish. Sexy time!"
Cahors "Le Pur Fruit du Causse" Combel La Serre
From the winemaker: “100% Malbec (aka Auxerrois in local parlance). The fruit for Pur comes from seven different Combel sites totalling 8.5 hectares around their home village of Cournou, which lies on the Causse, a limestone plateau in Cahors at 320m elevation. Planted on clay-limestone soils, the vines are certified-organic, average 35 years old and are kept to a modest 45 hl/ha yield. The grapes are hand-harvested and crushed with 20% whole clusters; the juice ferments at cool temperatures with indigenous yeasts in cement tanks with a 10-day skin maceration. The wine is aged on its lees in cement through the winter and bottled in the spring. Pur Fruit is Combel's "entry-level" red, made in a fruit-forward, more approachable style than most Cahors on the market, as well as more than Combel's other wines (except arguably their carbonically-macerated Carbo). Bottled in November 2016; 4100 cases produced, accounting for approximately half of the estate's output.”
Natural Reds
Envínate Benje Tinto
From the winemaker: “Envínate (“wine yourself”) is the brainchild of Laura Ramos, Jose Martínez, Roberto Santana and Alfonso Torrente, four friends who met while studying winegrowing at the University of Miguel Hernández in Alicante. Their work, both in the vineyard and winery, is focused on exploring the ancient, Atlantic-infused terruños of Ribeira Sacra and the Canary Islands, as well as exceptional vineyard plots across the Iberian Peninsula. The Envínate philosophy is simple: allow each parcel to fully express itself in the finished wine by utilizing old-fashioned farming and winemaking methods. The results are some of the most exciting wines being produced in Spain today.”
Pépière Val de Loire Côt-Merlot "La Pépiè"
About the wine: “82% Côt (aka Malbec)/18% Merlot. Only three of Pépière's 43 certifed-organic hectares of vines are planted to black grapes: Côt, Merlot and Cabernet Franc (known locally as Breton). They are in the 10-hectare "home" vineyard in Clisson, where the rocky, granite-rich soils yield top-tier Melon de Bourgogne; the black grapes are in a section with a gentle slope and southwestern exposure. As with the Cabernet Franc, the Côt and Merlot are harvested by hand, destemmed and crushed, with only the free-run juice used for the wine. It is fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts, followed by around five months of aging in stainless steel. The wine is classified as a Vin de Pays de la Loire, as there is no allowance for red wine in the Muscadet AOC.”
Elegant Traditional Reds
Bow & Arrow Gamay
From the winemaker: "My name is Scott Frank and Bow & Arrow is my interpretation of the Willamette Valley’s humble terroir. The most important parts of that equation are the Willamette Valley and “humble.” Our growing region is frequently approached as a grand terroir destined to produce prestigious wines with an implicit Burgundian influence. I’m honored to make wine here. Still, the valley I know and love is as much a blue-collar agricultural area as it is a boutique wine destination. It’s as much a collection of relatively simple, clay dominated soils as it is home to multi-generation family estates and renowned AVA’s. Bow & Arrow uses a different template to explore this different, simpler side of the Willamette Valley. Instead of Burgundy, we pay homage to the refreshing and decidedly working class wines of France’s Loire Valley."
Dominó Foxtrot
About the wine: From a hilly part of the Alentejo, Serra de São Mamede and Portalegre. Old vines averaging 80+ years-old from granitic and clay soils. The wine is an interesting blend of Alicante Bouschet and Trincadeira (or Tinta Amarela in the Douro) and a field blend of different Muscat varieties, white and red (Nunes, Hamburg, Leona, Petits Grains, Alessandria). The bunches are kept whole and the wine goes through a soft maceration with the stems for five days. It is pressed and fermented in stainless steel. After two months it got racked into old barrel where it rested for a year. This is a perfect example of Vitor’s red wines: a pale and delicate ruby color, with just hints of berry fruit, and enough grip to keep you interested.
Powerful Traditional Reds
Pépière Val de Loire Côt-Merlot "La Pépiè"
About the wine: “82% Côt (aka Malbec)/18% Merlot. Only three of Pépière's 43 certifed-organic hectares of vines are planted to black grapes: Côt, Merlot and Cabernet Franc (known locally as Breton). They are in the 10-hectare "home" vineyard in Clisson, where the rocky, granite-rich soils yield top-tier Melon de Bourgogne; the black grapes are in a section with a gentle slope and southwestern exposure. As with the Cabernet Franc, the Côt and Merlot are harvested by hand, destemmed and crushed, with only the free-run juice used for the wine. It is fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts, followed by around five months of aging in stainless steel. The wine is classified as a Vin de Pays de la Loire, as there is no allowance for red wine in the Muscadet AOC.”
Stolpman syrah
From the winemaker: "The most representative “flagship” bottling of the vineyard, Estate Syrah has become the calling card not only for Stolpman, but for the Ballard Canyon AVA. Estate Syrah also symbolizes the evolution in viticulture and winemaking at Stolpman Vineyards. In the 1990s and well into the 2000s, this wine was made in a more heavy-handed style – employing extended macerations, forcefully extractive punch-downs multiple times daily, and new French oak barrels – all in the effort to make bigger, more powerful wines. Today we rely on concentration derived from our version of dry-farming – no irrigation from fruit-set through picking. We are able to harvest small, undiluted grapes at the peak of freshness without the jammy flatness associated with dehydrated fruit. Confident that our grapes provide plentiful color, flavor, and texture; we now manage our fermentations much more gently – delicately circulating the juice in an effort to eliminate harsh tannin and elevate the purity and nuance of the finished wine. All in all, Estate Grown Syrah now reaches a finer balance and is more delicious drunk both young, and fully mature."
Modern Reds
Buehler Zinfandel
From the winemaker: "Our Zinfandel was aged for 12 months in a combination of French and American oak barrels, 20% of which were new. At this level of “new wood”, the up-front endearing quality of Zinfandel can assert itself. Aromas of a briar patch on a hot summer day carry over to the palate and are carried in a mouth-filling, deeply layered, juicy package. The wine was crafted for immediate enjoyment but for those who enjoy a more complex wine displaying some bottle-aged character, aging for another two to three years is a good option."
J. Brix “La Belle Rêveuse” Syrah
From the winemaker: "La Belle Rêveuse – The Beautiful Dreamer. Syrah was one of the varieties we worked with when we frst made our own wine; and so the dream became reality."