April Showers Us With Fine Wine! - Harvest Club (April 2022)
Harvest Club Wines:
Featured Wines:
Passion fruit and Bing cherry come off the nose of this wine with a distinctive, wet gravel minerality. As you look at the wine in your glass it continues to dance and open up to its more complex flavors and aromatics. The palate on this wine evokes a traditional Champagne in weight and fineness of bubbles; however, the easy-drinking, fruit forward youth of the wine makes it very quaffable. (Winery)
"Mizany Vineyard is a 16-acre vineyard in the famous Cortina Gravel of Dry Creek Valley. We purchased the vineyard in 2011 and named it after my father-in-law. When planting the Zinfandel Vineyard we took a heritage approach and planted a field blend much like the first vineyards planted in the area." - Erik Miller, winemaker.
Try it with: Salumi and cheeses, chilled seafood cocktail, golden beet salad, and frutti di mare pasta!
The floral aromatics of this wine are spring on steroids. There is honeysuckle, lilac, and jasmine with a whisper of candied lemon peel on the nose. On the palate, there is a salty minerality and a savory cantaloupe quality. This bright and textural dry wine has a delightful lingering finish that will pair beautifully with spicy or ethnic foods that other wines can’t stand up to. (Winery)
"This is the inaugural vintage of a skin-contact white wine for Breaking Bread and is the type of wine that inspired me to start this label. To be able to take risks and play with unique styles of wine and winemaking is the driving force of Breaking Bread. Skin fermented white wines can vary dramatically depending on the varietal used. I have worked with the Timber Crest Muscat Blanc for 10 years, although I have never done a skin contact fermentation with it before. In using this varietal, I knew that the aromatics would be profound, however wanted to ensure that the tannin structure and mouthfeel would be in balance." - Erik Miller, winemaker.
Try it with: Ethiopian food, Thai, and Indian!
Alois Lageder | 2019 "Porer" Pinot Grigio | Sud Tirol, Alto-Adige, Italy | Biodynamic Farming
92 points James Suckling: "Effusive nose of floral honey and summer meadows with a hint of vanilla. Ripe and open, yet bright and crisp with some positive tannins at the tantalizing finish. And it does all this with just 11.5% alcohol! From bio dynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink now."
From the winemaker: "This wine is all about the joy of experimenting and bringing different components together. One part of the grapes was pressed immediately after their arrival at the estate, another part was kept on the skins for 15 hours and the third part was in contact with stems and skins for about one year. We combine different components in order to create a fresh, lively and precise Pinot Grigio also in future. Straw-yellow color with a red shimmer. Slightly aromatic, pronounced bouquet, fruity (melon, peach) spicy, mineral rich and quite opulent, lively, fresh, fruity, dry."
Try it with: Starters, pâtés and terrines, cold meat, all kinds of fish and seafood, white meat and poultry!
Beatus Ille is mostly Grenache blended with about 15% Cinsault from two parcels, La Lionne, in the Sorgues district, just at the southern border of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and another parcel in Vedène. It's blended with a bit of Syrah from Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It's 100% destemmed and fermented and aged in cement tanks. Beatus Ille is a quote from an ancient Latin poem by Horace in the second Epode, that literally means, "happy is the man". It refers to the pleasure of appreciating your beautiful surroundings in the countryside and working under your own volition…an appreciation for what you have in its simplest form." (Winery)
Fabulous Cotes du Rhone, with red a black fruit, spice, licorice, garrigue, plums, supple and round, with a perfectly integrated finish!
Try it with: BBQ!!!!! Grilled veggies, burgers, lamb, venison, ribs. You name it!!
Intoxicating aromas of black pepper, cranberries, and forest floor, give way to savory notes of pepper, tea leaves, black olives, and currants on the palate.
Try it with: Brie, goat, or blue cheese, roasted duck, beef stew, or grilled portobello mushrooms with papper and rosemary!
Le Bout du Monde | 2019 "L'échappée belle" Rouge | Languedoc-Rousillon, France | Biodynamic Farming
Bursting with blackcurrants, and earthy pepper. Followed by lovely aromas of violets, blackberries, and Mediterranean herbs.
Try it with: Hard cheeses with charcuterie, rosemary roasted chicken and fingerling potatoes, pork tenderloin with slow roasted green beans and sage!
About the Producers:
Erik Miller of Breaking Bread Winery | Healdsburg, Sonoma County, California | @breakingbreadwinery
Erik Miller, founder and winemaker of Kokomo Winery, was inspired to join in California's new love for wines that are lighter in alcohol, crunchy in acidity, and bright in appearance. He had been making wine for sixteen years and with the development of a more traditional brand, had a solid foundation in winemaking as it pertains to microbiology and fermentation science. When he decided to start Breaking Bread, it was very important to him, artistically, to build something completely different than his first conception, Kokomo. He wanted to be challenged in his craft as a winemaker and he also wanted to understand fermentation from a different perspective that could possibly play a part in future Kokomo vintages.
The defining characteristic is whole-cluster fermentation (carbonic maceration), which lends a crunchy, herbaceous character to the wine. The goal is a very hands-off approach to winemaking that highlights the purity of fruit, and deliciousness of a lighter-bodied red wine that preferably should be served slightly chilled.
Isabel Ferrando of Domaine Saint Prefert | Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Rhone Valley, France | @isabelferrando_stprefert
Isabel Ferrando’s reputation for outstanding wines has grown every vintage since her first release in 2003. She purchased Domaine Saint-Préfert from the Serre family, who was one of the first to estate-bottle in the appellation in the 1930’s; at that point, the domaine was 13.2 hectares, all in the Les Serres lieux-dit, south of the village of Châteauneuf. In 2004, she purchased more land and started making the 100% Grenache cuvée Colombis, primarily from the lieux-dit of Colombis, with sandy soil; she bottles this wine as Domaine Isabel Ferrando.
Ferrando has always farmed organically and starting in 2019, the vines are being managed following biodynamic methods. She has very old vines in her holdings: the Grenache vines average more than 70 years old, and she still has some of the original Mourvèdre that was planted in the 1920’s. Throughout each parcel, all thirteen varieties are co-planted, something that Henri Bonneau told her is, “the beginning of the complexity [of her wines.]”
There is not a secret formula here to making great wines. Ferrando has a young team and she is open to new ideas; she relies on tradition without being trapped by it. Starting in the 2009 vintage, Ferrando started working with whole-cluster fermentations (without added yeasts,) finding that it increased freshness in the wines and lowered alcohol, giving the wines vibrance. Aging happens in a mix of concrete and 600L used barrels for up to 18 months. Year after year, the Saint Préfert wines continue to impress us with their finesse, elegance, and true terroir expression.
James Sparks of Kings Carey Wines | Santa Barbara County, California | @kingscareywines @jamessparkswine
James started life as a Mormon. In 2009, having already left the religion, James’ brother-in-law brought him to California’s Santa Ynez Valley; a move which would kick-start his career path in Santa Barbara Wine Country.
Originally assistant winemaker for Santa Barbara County label, Dragonette Cellars, James left Dragonette to join Liquid Farm as the boutique label’s very first, dedicated winemaker. James transitioned over to Liquid Farm at the start of harvest 2013, and continues to make Liquid Farm’s variety of wines (now five Chardonnays, a Rosé of Mourvèdre, and four Pinot Noirs) in addition to Kings Carey Wines.
James’ work ethic and attention to detail, including his {annoying} fastidiousness and penchant for cleanliness in the winery, allow his wines to speak for themselves…simply put, they undergo fewer manipulations which are often due to necessary fixes or corrections in the winemaking process."
Alois Lageder | Sud Tirol, Alto-Adige, Italy | @alois.lageder
The Alois Lageder winery was established in 1823 and today it is managed by the family’s fifth and sixth generation, Clemens and Helena Lageder where biodynamic farming is a central part of the wine. The winery is located in Magrè, in the southern part of the Alto Adige region. With a holistic approach, creativity and an experimental spirit Alois Lageder produces wines that reflect the diversity of Alto Adige. "We are committed to biodynamic wine production and continually expand our knowledge in this area." In addition to the family owned vineyards (135 acres / 55 hectares) the winery collaborates with around 80 grape growers (247 acres / 100 hectares).
Alois Lageder believes that organic and biodynamic cultivation greatly enriches the landscape. One of the goals of biodynamics is to build a closed farm organism and to increase diversity and fertility. The winery collaborates with mountain farmers who bring their cows and sheep in the winery’s vineyards during the autumn and winter months, following the old tradition of transhumance. This helps to increase the vitality of the grapes and the biodiversity.
A few years ago, Alois Lageder started to cooperate with some local winegrowers from the wider Dolomiti area, which is why Pinot Grigio and Pinot Bianco have the Dolomiti appellation. Today, this collaboration and organic farming are met with enormous interest allowing us to expand this project giving the wines their own name: Terra Alpina. The Terra Alpina wines are characterized by a unique interplay of harsh Alpine and sunny Mediterranean influences.
Edouard Lafitte of Le Bout Du Monde | Roussillon, France | Facebook: Domaine Le Bout du Monde
"After several years spent working at the Estézargues cooperative cellar, I wanted to work the land. Many of my friends had already tried the adventure… Not being of agricultural origin, everything had to be created. Loïc Roure (Domaine du Possible) who had just moved to Lansac in the Pyrénées-Orientales, offered to welcome me to the cellar he had just acquired, a former cooperative cellar… more than finding the vines, my choice fell on vines at altitude, rather north facing to promote freshness, fruit, and limit alcohol. The first visitors thought it was “Le Bout du Monde”, hence the name of the Domaine!
2005 was my first vintage, it was not really a success… The grapes were certainly very pretty, but the vinification turned out to be more complicated than expected… Making Natural wine without or with very few inputs on these very arid terroirs, which have unfortunately suffered several decades of weeding, requires a lot attention. Fortunately, the vintages that followed were better and better, the work in the vineyard ended up bearing fruit.
Today I produce 6 different cuvées, only red. I vinify by terroir. The harvest is done by hand, the vinification is as natural as possible, in carbonic maceration and at low temperature. The wines are not filtered."
For lovers of "living wines", Edouard is a figure in viticulture that respects the environment and the most natural wine-making possible. For movie buffs wanting a more colorful presentation, find Edouard and his friends in the film Wine Calling…
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