Bubbles to Fall for 6-Pack

BUBBLES TO FALL FOR 6-PACK, SHOP HERE

J. Laurens Cremant de Limoux Brut NV

• Cremant de Limoux, France
• 60% Chardonnay, 30% Chenin blanc, 5% Mauzac, 5% Pinot noir
• Traditional method
• 12 months on lees
• 91 points WE
• Lemon, pineapple, cardamom pod

 

Antech Cuvée Eugénie Cremant de Limoux Brut 2017

• Cremant de Limoux, France
• Chardonnay, Chenin blanc, Mauzac
• 20 - 40-year old vines
• Hand picked
• 18 months on lees
• 8 g/l dosage
• Granny smith, honeydew rind, brioche

Szigeti Gustav Klimt Blanc de Blancs Brut 2016

• Burgenland, Austria
• 100% Chardonnay
• Handpicked
• Stainless steel fermentation
• 26-48 months on lees
• Local sweet wine used for 8 g/l dosage
• Gustav Klimt painting on label
• Baked apple, peach, mango lassi

 

Le Monde Pinot Nero Rosé Sparkling NV

• Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy
• 100% Pinot Noir
• Gravel, clay, and calcareous soils
• 39-year old vines
• August harvest
• Charmat method, 60 days on lees
• 8 g/l dosage
• Raspberry, red currant, rose petal

 

Francois Montand Méthode Traditionelle Brut Rosé NV

• Gascony, France
• Clay and limestone
• Grenache, Cinsault
• Traditional method
• 9 months on lees
• 10 g/l dosage
• Raspberry, dry cherry, watermelon rind

 

Jansz Tasmania Brut Rosé NV

• Tasmania, Australia
• 78% Pinot Noir, 22% Chardonnay
• Handpicked
• Whole cluster pressed
• Traditional method, first traditional method wine from Tasmania (1989)
• Fermented in stainless steel and oak barrels
• 18-24 months on lees
• Full malolactic fermentation
• 92 points DC, 91 points JH, 91 points WE, 91 points WS, 90 points JS, 90 points W&S
• Strawberry, cranberry, white rose

BUBBLES TO FALL FOR 6-PACK, SHOP HERE

Into the Outback: Hip Australian 3-Packs for Autumn

Pack #1 – McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley & Eden Valley, SHOP HERE

Pewsey Vale Eden Valley Dry Riesling 2018

• Eden Valley, South Australia
• Winery founded in 1847
• Sandy loam
• 30-year-old vines
• Native yeast
• Stainless steel fermented and aged
• 3.1 ph, .9 g/l residual
• 94 points JS, 92 points WE
• Dried grapefruit, peach, sorrel

 

Bink Wines ‘Sergeant J’ Red Wine 2018

• Barossa Valley, South Australia
• Solo project from Koen Janssens of Yetti and the Kokonut
• Grenache
• Native yeast fermented
• Unfined, unfiltered
• Sour cherry, red currant, red clay

 

S. C. Pannell ‘Smart Vineyard’ Grenache 2017

• McClaren Vale, South Australia
• “This is a label which is quite certain to become thoroughly iconic in the years ahead.” James Halliday
• 80 year old bush vines
• Red clay loam with iron and quartz
• 100% destemmed
• 10 days on skins
• Aged 11 months in 2500l foudre and 500l puncheon
• Unfined, unfiltered
• 93 points WE
• Red cherry, fresh strawberry, Thai basil

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Pack #2 – Punk as...Ochota Barrels, SHOP HERE

‘The Green Room’ Grenache 2019

• Mclaren Vale
• 82% Grenache, 18% Syrah
• Planted 1946
• Limestone and schist
• 85% whole cluster fermentation
• 28-88 day maceration
• Aged 2 months
• Unfined, unfiltered
• Red plum, black cap, thyme

‘From The North’ Mourvedre 2018

• Barossa Valley
• Sand
• Planted 1869
• Biodynamic viticulture
• 100% whole cluster
• 5 day cold soak, 12 day fermentation
• Aged 3 months
• Unfined, unfiltered
• 20 ppm SO2
• Black cherry, smoked tea, anise seed

‘The Mark of Cain’ Pinot Meunier 2019

• Adelaide Hills
• Clay
• Planted 1985
• Named after a punk band Taras Ochota once toured with
• Half carbonic maceration for one month, half whole cluster traditional ferment for 6 days
• Unfined, unfiltered
• 20 ppm SO2
• Red grapefruit, rhubarb, rose hips

More Joy, Less Stress Italian Red 3-Pack

More Joy, Less Stress Italian Red 3-Pack, SHOP HERE

 

Feudo Montoni Nero D’Avola 2016

• Cammarata, Sicily
• Clay and sand soils
• Certified organic
• 35-year old vineyard
• Fermented in cement
• Aged 20 months in cement, followed by 4 months in barrel
• Red cherry, raspberry, star anise

 

Rocca di Frassinello Le Sughere di Frassinello 2016

• Maremma, Tuscany
• Collaboration between Castellare and Lafite Rothschild
• 50% Sangiovese, 25% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon
• 2008 vintage made Wine Spectator Top 100 list
• Fermented in stainless steel
• Aged 12 months in 50% new barriques
• 93 points WS, 91 points JS
• Black currant, rosemary, iron

 

Iuli Umberta 2018

• Monferrato, Piedmont
• Limestone and clay soils
• Certified organic
• Vineyards planted from 1940-1999
• Native yeasts
• Fermented in concrete with a 20-day maceration
• Aged in concrete for 10-11 months
• Unfined, unfiltered
• Blackberry, black plum, fennel seed

More Joy, Less Stress Italian Red 3-Pack, SHOP HERE

Enfant Terrible: Didier Dagueneau

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“France’s most physically messianic winemaker…” “Dagueneau glared at tasters; he poured samples with studiedly curt swiftness; all questions were met with monosyllabic replies. He would rather, one felt, have been racing huskies in Finland (as he did for three months the following winter). His wines smelled not of Sauvignon Blanc, nor of gooseberries or asparagus or of micturating felines, but of......Spring. Sipping the Buisson Renard was like standing beneath a waterfall: the flavours were clean, limpid, eerily palpable, a soft shock. The Silex was not the parody flintlock of popular myth; it was pure, sappy, soaring, rich, finishing with just a hint of stone after rain. I had not been expecting this calm and majestic retreat from the varietal. I learnt something new.” Andrew Jefford, The New France

“Due to a titanic level of work in the vineyard, his pure-bred Sauvignon Blancs act like a terroir sponge.” Michel Bettane, Le Grand Guide des Vins de France

“I had a few scores to settle with the family,’ he said. ‘So, I decided to make wine, to make better wine than them. That was my first motivation. So, I decided to make the best Sauvignon Blanc in the world. Not at all pretentious for someone who’s been making wine for two years.” Didier Dagueneau, in Decanter

“In my opinion, 80% of the growers are thick and lazy.” Didier Dagueneau, to Jancis Robinson

Exacting. Motivated. Perfectionist. Iconoclast. Daredevil. Hirsute. Didier Dagueneau looms over the Loire Valley appellation of Pouilly-Fumé 12 years after his death, as famous for his strutting rejection of conventionality and his neighbors’ still ruffled feathers as for his transcendent Sauvignon Blancs. In an era of chemical farming and overcropped, watery wines, Dagueneau demanded parsimonious yields and delicate, labor-intensive handwork in the vineyard, employing one worker for every 2.5 acres (the same ratio as Domaine Romanee-Conti). He forsook his family domaine in favor of establishing his own, forging a reputation for both brilliantly expressive single parcel cuvees and brutally frank opinions. Finally, he rebuffed the orthodoxy that Pouilly-Fumé and other Sauvignon Blanc based wines were meant for early consumption. His first wines from the mid-80’s are still (reportedly) drinking quite well.

After a short career as a motorbike racer (he retired after two severe crashes), he turned to winemaking, establishing his domaine with rented vineyards beginning in 1982. He would slowly add cuvees throughout his tenure, beginning with his flagship Silex (named for the siliceous terroir it is planted on) in 1985, and continuing until his 2006 acquisition of a small plot in the storied Sancerre vineyard of Monts Damnes, overlooking Chavignol. Didier’s winemaking idols included legendary producers Edmond Vatan of Sancerre and Henri Jayer of Vosne-Romanee, vignerons renowned for marrying transparent site expression to a singular house style.

Dagueneau, forever restless, experimented over the years with native yeast fermentation, extensive battonage, a low sulfur regime, and various types of oak, but the domaine’s core principles always remained the same. It began with massal selection vines pruned very aggressively, producing less than half the total yield allowed by the appellation. A practitioner of organics and biodynamics (though not certified; Didier did not mix well with bureaucracy), herbicides were eschewed in favor of plowing, whether by horse (he was one of the first growers to revive the practice, well before DRC adopted it) or tractor. At harvest, Dagueneau’s late harvesting and rigorous selection led to phenologically ripe wines without the damp heaviness of rot and botrytis. Elevage always took place in oak, though the vessels’ size and shape varied considerably over the years. Didier is famous for pioneering the use of 350l oblong “cigar” barrels with very low levels of toast, which allowed the piercing minerality and Satnav terroir of his cuvees to shine.

“A chip off the old Silex”

When Didier Dagueneau died following an ultralight plane crash in 2008, many assumed that his domaine was doomed. Louis-Benjamin Dagueneau, having studied with biodynamic Loire luminary Francois Chidaine and Olivier Jullien of shop favorite Mas Jullien, was ready to strike out on his own, much like his father before him. Instead, Louis-Benjamin took up his father’s considerable legacy, expanding upon the domaine’s fame with a string of successful vintages that have left some wondering if the son has surpassed the father. The vineyards are cared for with the same laborious intensity, and the work in the cellar has only become more precise and translucent. Methinks his father would be proud.

“Didier was more than a light, he was a natural phenomenon, a storm, a commotion and a celebration in a world that is often too dull and glum.”...“Yes, he was bigger than life. But Dagueneau was a man who didn't suffer fools and clichés lightly.” Joe Dressner

Dagueneau wines currently available at The Thief:

Didier Dagueneau Blanc Fume de Pouilly 2016

Didier Dagueneau Blanc Fume de Pouilly 2017

Didier Dagueneau Blanc Fume de Pouilly Silex 2015

Didier Dagueneau Buisson Renard 2016

Didier Dagueneau Le Mont Damne 2017

Didier Dagueneau Le Mont Damne Chavignol 2016

Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fume Pur Sang 2017

Didier Dagueneau Jurancon Les Jardins de Babylone 2009

 

 

 

Pinot Noirs Perfect for Hot Summer Days and Cool Summer Nights

PINOT NOIR 6-PACK, SHOP HERE

 

Thorne and Daughters Copper Pot Pinot Noir 2018

• Cape South Coast, South Africa
• Shale and sandstone soils
• Native yeast fermentation
• 60% whole cluster
• 18 days on skins
• No additives other than SO2
• Aged 9 months in neutral French oak
• Raspberry, satsuma, Ceylon cinnamon

 

Soter Vineyards Planet Oregon Pinot Noir 2018

• Willamette Valley, Oregon
• 100% Pinot noir
• LIVE certified
• Salmon-Safe
• Fermented in small, open-top stainless steel
• Aged in French oak
• Portion of the proceeds donated to the Oregon Environmental Council
• 90 points VM, 90 points WE, 90 points JS
• Dried strawberry, rhubarb, forest floor

 

Mckinlay Vineyards Pinot Noir 2018

• Willamette Valley, Oregon
• Dry farmed
• Organic viticulture
• Native yeast ferment
• Up to 25% new French oak, depending on vintage
• Unfined, unfiltered
• Wild strawberry, rose, cola

 

Patient Cottat Le Grand Caillou Pinot Noir 2016

• Loire Valley, France
• 100% Pinot noir
• Clay soil
• 15-20-year-old vines
• 4 ton/acre yields
• 7-day cold soak
• 7-day fermentation
• Cherry pit, bergamot, button mushroom

 

J. Mourat Rouquin de Jardin 2019

• Loire Valley, France
• 100% Pinot Noir
• Certified organic
• Rhyolite, clay, and schist
• Fermented and aged in stainless steel
• Cranberry, red cherry, seaweed

 

Spy Valley Pinot Noir 2014

• Marlborough, New Zealand
• Clay and silt over gravel
• Handpicked
• Native yeast fermentation
• Fermented in small bins
• Aged 11 months in oak barrels
• 92 points WS
• Raspberry, violet, white truffle

PINOT NOIR 6-PACK, SHOP HERE

Ignite the Beast with these Late Summer Cabernet Sauvignons

IGNITE THE BEAST CAB SAUV 3-PACK, SHOP HERE

 

 

Campo alle Comete Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

• Castagneto Carducci, Tuscany
• Alluvial clay
• Fermented and macerated for 3 weeks in stainless steel
• ½ aged in tank and ½ aged in French oak, some new
• 90 points WE, 90 points JS
• Black currant, blueberry, cedar

Jim Barry Cover Drive Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

• Coonawarra, South Australia
• Red loam (terra rossa) over limestone
• 21 year old vines
• Aged 12 months in French oak
• 3.45 ph
• 90 points WE
• Blackberry compote, plum, cola

 

Smith & Hook Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

• Central Coast, California (San Antonio Valley, Paso Robles, Hames Valley, Arroyo Seco, and San Benito County)
• Barrel fermented
• Aged 10 months in French oak, 60% new
• 3.79 ph
• 91 points WW, 90 points WE
• Black cherry, mocha, vanilla

Italian White Wine 6-Pack Specs & Photos

ITALIAN WHITE WINE 6-PACK, SHOP HERE

 

Suavia Soave Classico 2018

• Veneto
• 100% Garganega
• 60-year-old vines
• Pergola trained
• Fermented and aged in stainless steel
• Malolactic fermentation
• 93 points JS, 90 points W&S, 17/20 points Jancis Robinson
• Apple, pomelo, green almond

 

Alois Lageder Terra Alpina Pinot Grigio 2018

• Trentino and Alto Adige
• 100% Pinot Grigio
• Dolomitic limestone
• Mostly pergola trained
• 5-50-year-old vines
• Converting to organic
• Stainless steel aged and fermented
• Aged 4 months on lees
• Lemon zest, sliced pear, mace

Mastroberardino Mastro Greco Campania 2017

• 100% Greco
• Estate founded in 1878
• Calcareous and clay loam
• 20-25-year-old vines
• Stainless steel fermentation and aging
• Yellow peach, citrus pith, mango pit

 

Umani Ronchi Casal di Serra 2018

• Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC Classico Superiore
• 100% Verdicchio
• Calcareous clay
• 8-30-year-old vines
• Hand-harvested
• Fermented and aged in stainless steel
• No malolactic fermentation
• 5 months on lees
• 91 points WE, 90 points Decanter
• Pear, white peach, jasmine

 

Strasserhof Kerner 2015

• Trentino - Alto Adige, Valle Isarco
• 100% Kerner, a 20th century cross between Riesling and Trollinger that shares many qualities with Riesling
• 10-25-year-old vines
• Sand, clay, and gravel
• Fermented and aged in stainless steel
• Elderflower, apricot, crushed slate

 

Zenato Lugana San Benedetto 2018

• Lombardy and Veneto
• 100% Trebbiano di Lugana
• Clay loam
• Guyot trained vineyard
• Fermented and aged in stainless steel
• 90 points WE
• Dried apple, crushed mint, blanched almond

ITALIAN WHITE WINE 6-PACK, SHOP HERE

Beasts of the Southern Rhône 3-Pack

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN RHÔNE TRIO, SHOP HERE

 

Terres des Chardons Chardon Marie 2015

• Costieres de Nimes
• Syrah
• Terroir of galets, large river rocks
• Certified organic, biodynamic since 2002
• Native yeast fermentation
• 30 day maceration
• Low to no sulfur
• Blackberry, tar, iron

 

Chateau de St. Cosme Les Deux Albion 2018

• Côtes du Rhône, villages of Plan de Dieu, Saint Maurice, and Cairanne
• Certified organic
• 50% Syrah, 20% Grenache, 15% Carignan, 10% Mourvedre, 5% Clairette
• Schist soil
• Vineyards trained en gobelet
• 40 year old vines
• Whole cluster fermentation in concrete
• 6 week maceration
• Aged in concrete and wood tanks for 18 months
• Plum, strawberry, scrub brush

 

Domaine des Bosquets Gigondas 2015

• First mentioned as a vineyard site in 1376
• 65 acres
• 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 8% Mourvèdre and 2% Cinsault
• Converting to certified organic
• Native yeast fermentation
• 30 percent whole cluster
• Aged 12 months in oak, 6 months in concrete
• 94 points WA, 93 points WS, 91 points JD
• Boysenberry, violet, licorice

 

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN RHÔNE TRIO, SHOP HERE

 

On Muscadet...and Deep Summer Deals for Deep Summer Days & Nights

 

Jo Landron, Muscadet vigneron and prominent moustache owner

 

On Muscadet...

Muscadet might just be the summer wine. Unlike more aromatic varieties, it shows well with a serious chill. It is always refreshing, low in alcohol, and thirst-quenching. It is also (usually) very reasonably priced, so you can afford a couple bottles to get you through a sweaty summer evening.

Where is it from?

Muscadet is in the far western part of the Loire Valley, north of Bordeaux. It abuts the Atlantic Ocean, which contributes greatly to its maritime structure and salty flavor. Nantes, the nearest city, is a bustling, rainy tech hub that has been called France’s Seattle.

What is it made of?

Melon B., formerly Melon de Bourgogne. For a more thorough history of the grape, including its unceremonious banishment from Burgundy, please refer to this earlier Thief blog.

What does Muscadet taste like?

Melon, a neutral grape, often tastes of orchard fruits such as green apples or pears, with a lean structure built around citrusy acidity. Muscadet’s proximity to the sea causes a distinctly saline, minerally finish that makes your mouth water. Some producers age their Muscadets on lees for extended periods, providing extra weight and creamy autolytic flavors like baking bread (similar to Champagne).

What should I pair with it?

The classic Muscadet pairing is fresh oysters with mignonette, though they provide an excellent foil for nearly any seafood (particularly raw or light preparations). They also play really well with green vegetables, which can be a difficult pairing. Well-made examples pick up some golden weight as they age, allowing them to be paired with richer foods like chicken in a cream sauce or leeks au gratin.

When should I drink it?

Fresh Muscadet is delicious, salty, and quaffable, the kind of wine to drink on your porch tonight. Aged Muscadet can hold for 10 years or more, growing weightier and more complex as the years roll by. So, I guess the answer is, you should’ve been drinking Muscadet this whole time!

Ch. Thebaud, Famille Lieubeau

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DEEP SUMMER DEALS for DEEP SUMMER DAYS

Muscadet 3-Pack, SHOP HERE

 

Chateau de la Ragotiere Muscadet Sevre et Main Sur Lie 2018

Lemon and the lightest texture are lifted by intense acidity and a lively, fresh aftertaste.

• Country/Region: Loire Valley, France
• Appellation: Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine
• Varietal: Melon de Bourgogne
• Vine Age: 25-years old on average

Domaine de la Fruitiere Cru Clisson 2014

Sourced from profoundly granitic soils that are some of the oldest in France, these wines have a lash of savory acidity and remarkable longevity. 

• Country/Region: Loire Valley, France
• Appellation: Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine
• Varietal: Melon de Bourgogne
• Vine Age: 50-years old
• Certified organic
• Vinification: Hand-harvested, basket press, natural yeast fermentation in tank
• Aging: 24 months in tank on lees

La Berriere Muscadet Sur Lie 2018

The wine is fresh and has unusual depth and minerality. Thanks to its exceptional terroir, the wine is very floral and will develop fuller flavors with aging.

• Country/Region: Loire Valley, France
• Appellation: Muscadet Côtes de Grandlieu
• Varietal: Melon de Bourgogne
• Vine Age: Up to 60-years old
• Vinification: 7 months on lees with batonnage 1x each month

 

Vins de Vacances 6-Pack, SHOP HERE

 

Joseph Drouhin Rully Blanc 2016

A wine full of charm! The color is a beautiful white gold, with a ravishing purity and brilliance.

• Country/Region: Burgundy, France
• Appellation: Rully, Côte Chalonnaise
• Varietal: Chardonnay
• Vinification: Hand-harvested, aged in French oak (20% new) for 6-8 months.
• Certified organic

St. Cosme Little James Basket Press Pays D'OC Blanc 2018

Chateau de Saint Cosme is the leading estate of Gigondas and produces the appellation’s benchmark wines.

• Country/Region: South of France, France
• Appellation: Pays d’Oc
• Varietals: 50% Viognier, 50% Sauvignon Blanc
• Vinification: Stainless steel

Ingrid Groiss Gemischter Satz Braitenpuechtorff 2018

The oldest wine-growing districtus in Austria, the Weinviertel DAC, is where Ingrid Groiss calls home.  Hailing from the town of Breitenwaida, in northeast Austria, near the border with the Czech Republic, Ingrid crafts wines expressive of terroir, keeping with her family’s long tradition of winemaking.  She is supremely passionate about her wines, with sustainable practices in the vineyard and minimal interference of modern technologies in the cellar.

• Country: Austria
• Appellation: Neiderosterreich
• Varietals: Rare white blend (Chardonnay, Frühroter Veltliner, Grauburgunder, Grauer Vöslauer, Grüner Veltliner, Hietl Rote, Müller Thurgau, Neuberger, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Roter Veltliner, Rotgipfler, Sämling, Silberweisse, Welchriesling, Wiesse Vöslauer, Zierfandler)
• Vinification: Hand-harvested, 7 hours maceration, 4 months on the lees in stainless steel tanks

Peyrassol La Croix des Templiers Rosé 2019

The name of the estate is the first indication of its long, illustrious past. Located in the heart of Provence, near routes traveled by Crusaders in the early Middle Ages, the Commanderie de Peyrassol was founded by the Knights of Templar who were dedicated to protecting the Crusaders en route to, and in, the Holy Land. 

• Country: France
• Appellation: Provence, IGP Mediterranee
• Varietals: Cinsault and Grenache

Domaine de la Patience Rosé Nemausa 2018

This family estate located in the Costières de Nîmes takes its name from a wild, aromatic herb “La Patience” that can be found throughout the vineyard. 

• Country: France
• Appellation: Costieres de Nimes
• Varietals: Grenache and Cinsault
• Vine Age: 20 years
• Vinification: Fermentation in stainless steel, aging in concrete vats
• Certified organic

Figuiere Mediterranee Rosé 2019

Over a period of 25 years, the Combard Family has grown Figuière to its current size of 210 acres. Additionally, Figuière produces an entry-level tier of wines called "Méditerranée" using meticulously selected grapes sourced from négociants. The perfecting touches of maturing and blending are carried out in the domaine’s cellars.

• Country: France
• Appellation: Provence
• Varietals: 40% Grenache, 30% Cinsault, 20% Syrah, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
• Vine age: 10 – 15 years
• Vinification: Stainless steel fermentation

 

Crushable Wines from Spain and South America

Spanish Wine Trio, SHOP HERE

 

Descendientes de Jose Palacios Pétalos del Bierzo 2018

About the producer:

Álvaro Palacios (a celebrated producer of Priorat) teamed up with his nephew, Ricardo Perez, a Bordeaux trained enologist, to fulfill his early passion for making great old vine wine from the Mencía grape. Pétalos is made from vineyards scattered across Bierzo’s western border and made for early enjoyment.

Tech notes:

• Region: Bierzo, Spain
• Varietals: Mencía
• Biodynamic practicing
• Vineyards: Located in and around the village of Corullon – a mix of high elevation and lower
• Vine age: 40 – 90 years old
• Soil type: Schist and ~ 30% clay
• Harvested by hand
• Vinification: Fermentation in large oak vats. Maceration 25 days. No fining.
• Aging: Several weeks in new French oak barrique followed by 6 – 10 months in 2nd and 3rd use barrels.

Ulls de Mel Vin Naturel Red 2018

• Region: Penedès, Spain
• Varietals: 90% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha
• Vine age: Over 40 years old
• Soil type: Predominantly limestone and sand
• Harvested by hand
• Vinification: Fermented with indigenous yeasts. No added sulfites. “Natural” wine.

 

Bodega Marañones 30,000 Maravedies 2016

About the producer:

Bodega Marañones is located in the DO of Viños de Madrid in the sub-zone of San Martín de Valdeiglesias where the Sierra de Gredos meets the Sierra de Guadarrama. Their vineyards stretch from the steep hillsides at the base of the mountains down to gentler slopes near the valley floor – providing them with a variety of terroirs that capture a more Mediterranean expression of the Gredos. Helmed by Fernando Garcia, who together with Dani Landi, are the creative minds behind Comando G, Bodega Marañones is farmed organically and manually with the assistance of mules due to the steep slopes of their vineyards. 

Tech notes:

• Region: Castillo y Leon (Vinos de Madrid), Spain
• Varietals: Garnacha and Morate (approximately 10%)
• Biodynamic and organic practicing
• Vineyards: 650 – 800 meters
• Vine Age: 30 – 70 years old
• Soil Type: Sand and granite
• Harvested by hand
• Vinification: 24-hour cold pre-fermentation maceration. Whole cluster, natural yeast fermentation in stainless steel tanks and oak vats.

South American Trio, SHOP HERE

Garzón Albariño Reserva 2019

• Region: Uruguay
• Varietals: Albariño
• Vineyards: Atlantic Ocean influenced
• Soil Type: Granite and schist (“ballast”)
• Hand-harvested
• Vinification: 3 – 6 months on fine lees in stainless steel

Catena High Mountain Vines Malbec 2017

• Region: Mendoza, Argentina
• Varietals: Malbec
• Vineyards: High altitude vineyard in Maipú, Lujan de Cuyo, Tupungato, and San Carlos
• Vine Age: Up to 80 years old
• Soil Type: Limestone, clay, sand
• Vinification: Fermented in barriques for 34 days. Malolactic fermentation. Aged for 14 months in American and French barriques, 35% new.

J. Bouchon País Viejo 2019

About the producer:

Bouchon Family Wines began in the late 19th century when young viticulturist Emile Bouchon left Bordeaux, France for Chile. Today, Julio Bouchon and his children carry on their 4th generation family winemaking tradition in the Maule Valley.

Tech Notes:

• Region: Maule, Chile
• Varietals: País
• Vineyards: 650 ft.
• Vine Age: 100 year old Gobelet vines
• Soil Type: Granite and sandy loam
• Harvested by hand
• Vinification: Fermented with native yeasts in concrete