MFW July Portfolio Update
MFW July Portfolio Update
MFW July Portfolio Update
France
Loire – Pays Nantais
Domaine de la Bregeonnette
Joseph Orieux founded this domaine in the town of Vallet in the 1960's and has been organic from the start, recently becoming certified (only 12
producers out of 600+ actually have the certification). Today, Joseph's grandson, Stéphane Orieux upholds his family's traditions of organic farming,
hand-harvesting, wild yeast fermentations, and long, sur-lie aging. Due to the many decades of experience, Bregeonnette has become a reference
point for other winemakers in the region who want to learn how to work organically in the vines. Even Marc Ollivier of Domaine de la Pépière consults
Stéphane when he has questions about organic treatments. The same care and dedication to quality is present throughout the entire range of wines.
Everything is harvested by hand, including the Gros Plant, and the top, single-parcel wine, "Clos de la Coudray", spends 18 months sur-lie.
Loire – Anjou-Saumur
Bertin-Delatte
In the past decade or so, the town of Rablay-sur-Layon has become a small hub for dedicated young winemakers in the Loire Valley. There’s a strong
community spirit – each year the town organizes a small music festival, and there is a cooperative grocery store in the town center. Geneviève Delatte
and Nicolas Bertin started out in the area working for other winemakers, and in 2008, they purchased their own small vineyard, a 1.5ha lieu-dit named
"L’Echalier". In 2012 they built a small home and winery at the edge of their vines and found a few other small vineyards in the hills around Rablay.
The winemaking philosophy is to keep things simple; accompany the vines, the grapes, and the wine. Spend a lot of time observing, intervene as little
as possible.
Mary Taylor
When founding partner Mary Taylor first fell in love with wine in the early 90s, it was the European classics that truly spoke to her and stole her heart.
As a young professional selling wine, she quickly learned to appreciate wine in the “Old World” way — not as a luxury good reserved for special
occasions, but a living agricultural product that belongs to everyday life. After many years working with the wines of Europe, Mary arrived at an
important insight. Left in the dark by decades of simplistic marketing efforts that placed grape above geography, American consumers needed a
brand they could trust to decipher the complex notion of terroir in a clear and straightforward way. Out of this realization, the “White Label” series
was born. Today, it is Mary’s mission to unlock the world of European appellation wines by working with individual growers in multiple villages — from
Bordeaux to Nîmes to Valençay to the Douro and beyond — who produce exceptional, regionally-distinctive wines at extremely accessible prices. In
the traditional spirit of the Old World, each Mary Taylor wine has been selected as a faithful ambassador of its geographic origin, true to local traditions
and the vision of the individual farmer who bottled it. All fruit is farmed sustainably or organically, only indigenous varieties are used, fermentations are
with native yeast, and only inert vessels are used for aging to yield a set of wines of genuine quality and integrity that will bring the magic of their
terroirs to life wherever you choose to enjoy them.
Vins Hodgson
The Hodgsons' story is irresistibly bizarre: they're Japanese-Canadian winemakers who've settled in Rablay-sur-Layon via Vancouver and the Tochigi
prefecture of Japan. Kenji and Mai met in Vancouver, where Kenji studied engineering before abandoning it to work as a wine writer. Further curiosity
led them to intern at wineries in BC and Japan. Along the way, they became interested in natural wine, experimenting with low-sulfur use and natural
fermentation, and tasting widely among the plethora of French natural wines imported in Japan. So in 2009, Kenji and Mai decided to up and move to
France to work harvest with the legendary Mark Angéli of Ferme de la Sansonnière in Anjou. A year later, with encouragement from natural Loire
luminaries like Olivier Cousin and Claude Courtois, they purchased their first 3ha of vineyards in Rablay-sur-Layon, and are finally producing their first
wines under their own labels.
Loire – Touraine
Domaine Courtault-Tardieux
As a teenager, Simon Tardieux began working in the vines of Catherine Roussel and Didier Barrouillet of Clos Roche Blanche. After university and a
short stint as a social worker, Simon decided to return to his hometown and get back to his true calling: working outside in the vines. The only problem
was that he didn’t have any vineyards. So, he teamed up with his neighbor, Alain Courtault, who has long been practicing organics (Alain was the
third producer in the region to practice organic viticulture, starting back in 1998). Together, they make a range of simple, eminently drinkable wines.
Domaine Guion
There are few properties in France that can boast such a great pioneering legacy in organic farming as Domaine Guion. In the 1950’s, the Guion
family established their farm in the heart of the Bourgueil appellation, a stone’s throw from the banks of the Loire River. Since it was a polycultural
estate, the family was able to live almost entirely off the land. By 1965, they began farming organically, with a holistic understanding of its effects far
ahead of their time. Since taking the reins from his father in 1990, Stéphane Guion has a put a much greater emphasis on viticulture, managing 8.5ha
of land. Quiet and curious, he is a well-respected member of the vigneron community in Bourgueil and is often consulted by other growers eager to
adopt organic farming practices. While Stéphane rarely appears at tastings and trade shows, it is clear that the extra time in the vineyards and cellars
is well spent. Situated on meticulously cultivated clay and limestone soils, the Guions’ vineyards range from 10-80 years old, with the younger vines
designated for the “Cuvée Domaine” and the older for the “Cuvée Prestige”. Stéphane prunes the buds rather than clusters to achieve a judicious
yield and hand harvests all of his fruit. In the cellar, he only employs native yeasts and allows a moderate maceration of the grapes. Once the bottles
are ready for aging, they are stored in a large cave shared with six other families that once served as a historic Resistance hideout during World War
II. Rustic, focused, and lively, with fresh acidity and minerality, the wines of Domaine Guion are known for their fine tannins, great aging potential, and
terrific price.
Mary Taylor
When founding partner Mary Taylor first fell in love with wine in the early 90s, it was the European classics that truly spoke to her and stole her heart.
As a young professional selling wine, she quickly learned to appreciate wine in the “Old World” way — not as a luxury good reserved for special
occasions, but a living agricultural product that belongs to everyday life. After many years working with the wines of Europe, Mary arrived at an
important insight. Left in the dark by decades of simplistic marketing efforts that placed grape above geography, American consumers needed a
brand they could trust to decipher the complex notion of terroir in a clear and straightforward way. Out of this realization, the “White Label” series
was born. Today, it is Mary’s mission to unlock the world of European appellation wines by working with individual growers in multiple villages — from
Bordeaux to Nîmes to Valençay to the Douro and beyond — who produce exceptional, regionally-distinctive wines at extremely accessible prices. In
the traditional spirit of the Old World, each Mary Taylor wine has been selected as a faithful ambassador of its geographic origin, true to local traditions
and the vision of the individual farmer who bottled it. All fruit is farmed sustainably or organically, only indigenous varieties are used, fermentations are
with native yeast, and only inert vessels are used for aging to yield a set of wines of genuine quality and integrity that will bring the magic of their
terroirs to life wherever you choose to enjoy them.
Mikaël Bouges
Mikaël Bouges works a small, 8ha estate in the village of Faverolles-sur-Cher in Touraine. For years he labored on his father's estate in a neighboring
village, but after his father retired, Mikaël could not afford to buy his father’s share and was forced to look for new vineyard sites to establish his own
domaine. With the help of Catherine and Didier Barouillet of Clos Roche Blanche, Mikaël managed to acquire his current parcels of Côt, Sauvignon
Blanc, Menu Pineau, and Chenin that he farms organically. No additions except a small amount of SO2 at bottling.
Loire – Centre
Vincent Grall
Since 1999, Vincent Grall has quietly been making tiny amounts of Sancerre in his garage from 3.8ha of vines, making him the second smallest
producer in the region. The production is split between two white cuvées coming from two distinct sites that are each vinified and aged differently, per
the soil type. While the sites are blended, "Cuvée Tradition" is mostly from the silex soils around the main hill of Sancerre, Le Plateau, and is done
entirely in stainless. "Le Manoir" comes mostly from Le Manoir de L’Etang where the soils are more marl and clay, and is aged in 600L barrels that
are 3-4 years old. Although not certified, the soils are worked manually and organic treatments are used. The intention is to work as naturally as
possible in both the vineyards and the cellar, but they will intervene if they risk losing their crop in bad vintages. Unlike most Sancerre producers, all
harvesting is done by hand.
Alsace
Marc Tempé
Based in the small town of Zellenberg (population 300), Marc Tempé unapologetically crafts some of the most nuanced, terroir-expressive wines in
Alsace. The domaine was started in 1993 when Marc and his wife, Anne-Marie, combined vineyard holdings from both of their families, forming the
8.5ha of the domaine today. Initially working as a lab technician and vineyard expert for the INAO, Marc used his experience to immediately convert
the vines to biodynamics and has been an ardent practitioner since. After harvesting by hand, the fruit is pressed off extremely slowly, which helps
keep the natural acidity much higher than many in the region. Depending on the vineyard size, quality, or grape variety, fermentation occurs in either
old foudres or Burgundy barrels, and always with native yeast. In fact, when additional barrels are needed, Marc will only buy from growers who also
work biodynamically. The wines are then allowed to find their own balance, resting on their lees in barrel for a minimum of two years (some of the
Grand Crus age for nearly four years). Not only does Marc believe this helps emphasize terroir, but it also helps him keep sulfur levels as low as
possible. At bottling, there is no fining, and filtering only if necessary
Ruppert-Leroy
Ruppert-Leroy is an up-and-coming domaine started by the young Bénédicte Leroy, who is making some of the most exciting wines in the Aube today.
In the 1980s, the Leroy's decided to convert a clearing to vineyards when it was no longer economically viable to raise sheep on, initially selling all the
fruit to the local coop. After working with Bertrand Gautherot of Vouette et Sorbée, Bénédicte decided to quit her job as a PE teacher and take over
the domaine just as her father was getting ready to retire in 2009. She immediately converted the 4ha (not counting the garden or small pasture the
family still raises animals on) to organics and took all winemaking duties in-house, making wines inspired by her mentor. Now practicing biodynamics,
Bénédicte is focused on making wine in a method that is as simple as possible; each cuvée comes from a single vintage of a single vineyard, bottled
Brut Nature with no dosage.
Franche-Comté
Pascal Henriot
Historically, the Haute-Saône department of Franche-Comté, located just north of the Jura and east of the Côte d’Or, Burgundy, was an important
wine-producing region with more than 20,000ha of land under vine producing more wine than all of the Jura. Within this region, the tiny commune of
Champlitte was always considered one of the most important, highest quality areas for wine, with over 600ha of vineyards planted on the limestone
slopes at 250m elevation. Unfortunately, during the late 1800’s, disease and the phylloxera crisis decimated nearly all of this vineyard land, and then
the first World War wiped out what little remained. However, the people of Champlitte have always maintained an important wine culture, so much so
that they have held a festival for St. Vincent (the patron saint of winegrowers) every year continuously since 1612. With this spirit, the first vineyards
began to be replanted here in 1970, and the local coop was officially established in 1974. Today, Pascal Henriot remains the only independent
producer in Champlitte. After graduating from viticultural school in Beaune, Pascal returned to Champlitte in 1985, planting 6ha of vineyards divided
into three parcels home to the traditional grapes of the region: Pinot Noir and Gamay for reds, and Auxerrois, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and some
Gewürztraminer for whites. From the start, Pascal has always worked organically (now certified), and his parcels are surrounded by native plant
hedges and walls made from the ancient limestone soils to help encourage biodiversity. All fruit is harvested by hand, and in the cellar, Pascal takes
a natural approach using only native yeast for fermentations (Pascal tells us he, “does not have a budget for enological products,”) and adding only
a minimal amount of sulfur, and in some cases, no sulfur at all. Fermentation and aging generally occur in stainless steel or enamel tanks in an effort
to highlight the minerality and freshness from the local limestone soils. These are traditional wines from another era, and we are very lucky Pascal
has had the vision and determination to keep the viticultural history of this unique place alive.
Jura
Domaine de Saint Pierre
After studying enology in Beaune and working several years at the cooperative in Pupillin, Fabrice Dodane started working at Domaine de Saint Pierre
in 1989 as manager. Fabrice took full control of the estate in 2011 after the untimely death of the former owner. The winery is based in the small town
of Mathenay and covers approximately 6ha in the Arbois and Côtes du Jura AOCs with the vines planted in limestone and marl soils. Saint Pierre
achieved organic certification in 2012, having started conversion in 2002. All wines are fermented with native yeasts either in tank or neutral barrel.
Vinifications for the reds are done without the addition of sulfur, and the whites are done flawlessly in both the traditional sous voile method, as well
as topped-up, or ouillé style. These are clean, balanced expressions of their terroir, and drink almost too easily.
Nicolas Gonin
Located between Lyon and Grenoble, the Isère is just now gaining attention for its wines. Part of the attention is because of young growers like
Nicolas, who are seeking out and rediscovering the great, noble grapes of the past that (mostly for political and economic reasons) have been
abandoned in favor of the more well-known grapes of France. Nicolas discovered the 'cépages anciens' while working at Domaine Tempier in Bandol,
where he found a book that outlined the great old grapes of all the regions of France. Nicolas was hooked, and he now spends his weekends seeking
out old vineyards in France to find cuttings of these grapes. Nicolas currently owns part of the only 10ha of Persan that exist in the world, and will
soon make wine from grapes like Bia and Mècle de Bourgin. The vineyards are all certified organic, and fermentation and aging are exclusively in
enamel tank in order to give a true, unobstructed taste of these ancient varieties.
Beaujolais
Bernard Vallette
From the deep south of Beaujolais in the village of Lachassagne, where the soils are clay and limestone as opposed to granite, Bernard Vallette is
biodynamically farming 6.5ha of land passed down through his family from his grandparents. The grapes are all hand harvested and fermented
with native yeasts using carbonic maceration and a comparatively lengthy aging in stainless steel. The resulting wines are charming and
immensely drinkable in their youth, but also develop nicely with a few years of age. No additions in the cellar (including sugar) and just a touch of
SO2 at bottling.
Roland Pignard
Hardly a newcomer to winemaking, Roland Pignard took over the family estate in 1977 and immediately turned towards organic practices. In 2004,
he and his wife Joëlle sold off most of the estate, retaining only 4.5ha to concentrate on better farming, and received organic (Ecocert) and then
biodynamic (Demeter) certification. Vineyard treatments rely on biodynamic preparations with minimal copper-sulfate, and all tilling is done by horse-
drawn implements so as to not compact the soil. Picking is done by a crew of 20 (the same pickers each year, which is very important says Roland)
and carbonic macerations are short (only 6 to 12 days depending on the cuvée) as Roland feels that long macerations can result in the development
of undesirable yeasts and bacterias, and gives wines that are too extracted. All the wines are aged in cement cuves (except one cuvée of Morgon
called "Tradition"), and no SO2 is used during fermentation or élevage, with a minimal dose added before bottling, giving a total of about 8-10mg/L.
The resulting wines have subtle, pure fruit with perfect acidity and a pronounced mineral character with graphite, stone and earthy qualities.
Domaine du Chapitre
Frédéric Dorthe runs his family's 20ha of vineyards located on the right bank of the Rhône River in the picturesque town of Saint-Marcel d'Ardèche.
Due to long-standing contracts to sell most of his fruit, Fred's domaine has flown under the radar for a long time. On the bright side, this allows him
to make small amounts of honest, highly-drinkable wines from Southern Rhône grapes fermented and aged in cement with no additions except a
small amount of SO2 at bottling, and sell them for a song.
Domaine du Trapadis
The history of Domaine du Trapadis dates back four generations to 1850, with present vineyard owner Helen Durand’s two great-grandfathers each
owning a part of the land that together forms the 23ha of the domaine today. Trapadis is derived from the word 'trapalas', which means 'hole' in the
local dialect, a reference to the underground cave and natural spring located below the vines that provides water to the surrounding hamlet near the
village of Rasteau. Helen began to produce and bottle the wines of Trapadis at the young age of 16, and since 1996, he has complete control of the
domaine. The average age of the vines is 35 years, with the oldest parcel having been planted in 1922. Farming is all organic (certified since 2010),
with some biodynamic principles applied, and much of the work in the vineyards is carried out by horse. All the fruit is carefully hand harvested and
sorted before natural fermentation and aging in the original concrete vats.
Four Tuesdays
Some people hesitate to open a great bottle of wine on a weekday. Not us! We decided that Four Tuesdays would give you a great wine for every
night of the week at a fantastic price. Our box contains the equivalent of four 750mL bottles and stays fresh for four weeks once opened. Sourcing
great wine at friendly prices requires a fair amount of time and good luck. It comes down to finding winemakers who strive for quality regardless of
the perceived potential of their wine region or appellation. They stand out from their neighbors by going far beyond what the local winemaking rules
require – better farming, lower yields, and serious, honest winemaking.
Mary Taylor
When founding partner Mary Taylor first fell in love with wine in the early 90s, it was the European classics that truly spoke to her and stole her heart.
As a young professional selling wine, she quickly learned to appreciate wine in the “Old World” way — not as a luxury good reserved for special
occasions, but a living agricultural product that belongs to everyday life. After many years working with the wines of Europe, Mary arrived at an
important insight. Left in the dark by decades of simplistic marketing efforts that placed grape above geography, American consumers needed a
brand they could trust to decipher the complex notion of terroir in a clear and straightforward way. Out of this realization, the “White Label” series
was born. Today, it is Mary’s mission to unlock the world of European appellation wines by working with individual growers in multiple villages — from
Bordeaux to Nîmes to Valençay to the Douro and beyond — who produce exceptional, regionally-distinctive wines at extremely accessible prices. In
the traditional spirit of the Old World, each Mary Taylor wine has been selected as a faithful ambassador of its geographic origin, true to local traditions
and the vision of the individual farmer who bottled it. All fruit is farmed sustainably or organically, only indigenous varieties are used, fermentations are
with native yeast, and only inert vessels are used for aging to yield a set of wines of genuine quality and integrity that will bring the magic of their
terroirs to life wherever you choose to enjoy them.
Mas Foulaquier
Winemaker Pierre Jéquier, a native of Switzerland and formerly an architect, created Mas Foulaquier in 1998 following an exhaustive search for his
dream wine estate. Situated in the most northerly corner of Languedoc's most northerly appellation, Pic Saint-Loup, the 8ha of existing vines were at
the time just 8 years old, but happened to be planted on some great terroir. Now, at more than 25 years of age, those vines are the source of a quite
brilliant set of wines. Pierre's wife and fellow winemaker, Blandine Chauchet, joined the team in 2003, bringing with her the ownership of a further 3ha
of 50+ year-old Grenache and Carignan in the lieu-dit of "Les Tonillières". The vines are certified organic, and since 2007, are also certified
biodynamic by Demeter. In the cellar, the wines all are raised in Foulaquier’s signature, low-intervention style – native yeasts, no filtering, and minimal
sulfur added only at bottling.
Roussillon
Domaine Laguerre
A visit to Éric Laguerre in Saint-Martin-de-Fenouillet requires steep climbs through a mountain pass up to the highest vineyards in the Roussillon at
500m. Here, the granite soils, cooler climate, very low yields, and Éric's superb organic farming produce distinctive, balanced wines with bright fruit
and firm acidities. Éric initially learned winemaking with Gérard Gauby at Domaine Gauby and Le Soula, where he also developed a love for organic
and biodynamic viticulture. In 1999, Éric took over the family domaine and immediately began incorporating what he had learned; yields were
reduced dramatically to favor quality over quantity, all chemicals in the vineyards were eliminated (eventually achieving organic certification by
Ecocert), and some biodynamic practices were even incorporated, such as pruning and plowing according to the phases of the moon. The Laguerres
farm a total of 40ha high up in the foothills of the Pyrénées, although much is left to native grasses and flowers, including a flowering bush called
'Ciste' (which the top wines are named after) that helps contribute to biodiversity and wind protection. All fruit is harvested by hand and vinifications
are exclusively with native yeast, yielding a set of wines that are unique in their ability to combine concentration and texture of fruit with balance and
freshness from the granitic minerality.
Bordeaux – Entre-Deux-Mers
Mary Taylor
When founding partner Mary Taylor first fell in love with wine in the early 90s, it was the European classics that truly spoke to her and stole her heart.
As a young professional selling wine, she quickly learned to appreciate wine in the “Old World” way — not as a luxury good reserved for special
occasions, but a living agricultural product that belongs to everyday life. After many years working with the wines of Europe, Mary arrived at an
important insight. Left in the dark by decades of simplistic marketing efforts that placed grape above geography, American consumers needed a
brand they could trust to decipher the complex notion of terroir in a clear and straightforward way. Out of this realization, the “White Label” series
was born. Today, it is Mary’s mission to unlock the world of European appellation wines by working with individual growers in multiple villages — from
Bordeaux to Nîmes to Valençay to the Douro and beyond — who produce exceptional, regionally-distinctive wines at extremely accessible prices. In
the traditional spirit of the Old World, each Mary Taylor wine has been selected as a faithful ambassador of its geographic origin, true to local traditions
and the vision of the individual farmer who bottled it. All fruit is farmed sustainably or organically, only indigenous varieties are used, fermentations are
with native yeast, and only inert vessels are used for aging to yield a set of wines of genuine quality and integrity that will bring the magic of their
terroirs to life wherever you choose to enjoy them.
Southwest
Champ d’Orphée
Stéphane Lucas lives on his tiny estate (0.77ha total) within the Gaillac AOP of Southwest France. He works with the local grape, Braucol (also
known as Fer Servadou), and is deeply committed to farming organically (though not certified) as well as employing biodynamic treatments. He has
even begun experimenting with natural products such as essential oils and algae. All herbicides and pesticides are avoided, with all vineyard and soil
work being done by hand or with a small tractor. Legumes and grains are planted between the rows each fall after harvest to aid soil health and
protect against erosion. Everything is harvested by hand with extensive sorting in the vineyards as to only harvest healthy, ripe grapes. In the cellar,
the same care is put into every wine that he makes (there are only 2 estate wines, and he vinifies a few wines each year for a neighbor), and the
process is incredibly straightforward. As of now, Stéphane refuses the Gaillac AOP, deeming their regulations as being too loose in regards to yields
and organic farming. He and a few other top vignerons in the region are pushing for the laws to change, but until then he bottles everything as IGP
Côtes du Tarn.
Château La Colombière
Diane and Philippe Cauvin run Château La Colombière in the Fronton AOP of southwest France. After taking over the family domaine in 2005, the
Cauvins have worked tremendously hard to get the vineyards to where they are today and continue to work in a natural direction, favoring quality over
quantity (a rarity in this area). There are a total of 13ha of vines farmed organically (Ecocert certified), and they have even worked biodynamically
since 2010. Most of the plantings are of the local Négrette grape, but there is also some Gamay, Malbec, and Syrah, plus a white grape that is
technically not yet allowed to appear on a label, called Bouysselet. All of the wines come from 15-55 year old vines and ferment in cement or stainless
with no additions other than SO2 at bottling. Always experimenting, the Cauvins have even begun making a pét-nat rosé from Négrette!
Elian Da Ros
Historically, the region around Marmande has been more famous for tomatoes than for wine, but Elian Da Ros might change all that. Returning to
his native town of Cocumont in 1998, Elian constructed a simple winery and took the daring step of being the first winemaker to produce and bottle
his own wine under the Côtes du Marmandais AOP. Crafting superb, biodynamic wines from Bordeaux varieties as well as the local Abouriou,
Elian is one of those French vignerons that is universally respected by just about every other vigneron you talk with, regardless of their views on
agriculture and winemaking. These are some of the purest expressions of the limestone and gravel soils of the region, and display tremendous
elegance and finesse, even when working with grape varieties more famous for their masculinity and strength.
Guirardel
After working as engineers in the semiconductor industry for over 15 years, Françoise Casaubieilh (the eldest daughter of Anne-Marie Guirardel) and
her husband, Pierre Coulomb, were both fed up and looking for a change. In August of 2008, just as Françoise’s father was ready to retire from a life
working in the vineyards around the family’s home in Jurançon, Françoise and Pierre decided to return to the property, becoming the 15th generation
of the Guirardel family to make wine from this special vineyard. Neither had any experience with winemaking, but Françoise had just graduated from
an agricultural course at the local university, and Pierre would later go on to work with the Plageoles family in Gaillac, and still frequently calls on his
good friend Richard Leroy for advice. Françoise and Pierre immediately stopped using chemicals in the vines, and would eventually file for organic
certification in 2012 (which they were granted in 2015). They are also working closely with a doctor interested in energy, aligning their winery to the
lines of the “sacred network” and using their own essential oils and herbal infusions in the vineyard in place of treatments (even organic ones). The
4.5ha of vines are planted predominately to Petit Manseng (75%) with some Gros Manseng (25%) and slope steeply due south towards the Pyrénées.
The vines are 20 years old on average with very low yields (12-25 hL/ha) thanks to excellent farming and the poor clay-limestone soils with lots of
stones and glacial deposits from the ice age. Grapes are harvested by hand in successive passes from October through December, with each parcel
kept separate. Natural fermentations occur in 10 year-old, traditional 400L barrels, although they are also experimenting with some 700L barrels,
acacia barrels, and even amphora for their dry wine. In 2011, Pierre made his first trials with a no SO2 added dry wine from late harvest grapes, and
continues to refine his technique as he gains more experience, releasing wines with as little added sulfur as possible. These wines are the
continuation of an incredible family tradition and represent a throwback to Jurançon’s past that is sadly becoming more and more rare.
Julian Haart
Although Julian has the resume most people can only dream of (he has studied with Egon Müller, Klaus Peter Keller and Werner Schönleber; that's
like the German wine equivalent of learning to draw under Picasso, da Vinci, and Ingres), the fact is that this resume is an easy, glossy headline that
simplifies a much more complicated story. We have met few more serious, more thoughtful and detail-oriented growers. There is so much talent here
and Julian is relentless. He will be a very, very important grower. Starting with a microscopic 0.25ha plot of terraced vines in the famous Goldtröpchen
vineyard, Julian has finally bought a few more parcels and is renting some serious parcels from his uncle. The overall style is clearly a type of Mosel-
hommage to Keller. The wines showcase a glossy, super-pure fruit that shrieks across the palate with a pushing, sharply delineated acidity.
Pulverized slate, polished to a fine dust, coats everything. The hierarchy at Haart is based on Burgundy. There is the appellation-level "Moselle”
(read: Bourgogne) and the village-level Piesporter. For vintage 2013, we fell in love with a Fuder and bought it – thus we have 1,000 liters of a wine
that is floral, saline and smokin’. This is the aptly-named “1,000L”.
Stein
While Ulli Stein’s wines are not widely known in the U.S., he has nothing less than a fanatical following in Europe. He could likely sell every last bottle
to his friends in Germany alone, yet there are places of some importance, like Noma in Copenhagen, that put in sizable orders for Stein wine. He
farms meaningful parcels of land that have a few important things in common: They are not easy to work. They are commercially unknown. And,
most importantly, Ulli loves them. In fact, Stein is more than a winemaker – he is a passionate advocate for the traditional, steep, slate vineyards
of the Mosel. In 2010, Ulli published a manifesto warning of the threats to the region’s 2000 years old viticultural tradition. Winemaking with Ulli is
refreshingly light on “style,” instead focusing on what the vineyards say to him. Certainly there is a focus on wines that are dry; lightness and zip are
more important than gobs of fruit. Complexity is good, but not at the expense of the whole – better to be simple and well done than overdone and,
well, a mess. Cut is more important than size.
Weiser-Künstler
Konstantin Weiser and Alexandra Künstler are as soulful as the vineyards they farm; this is a micro-estate with only 3ha under vine. Konstantin
and Alexandra do everything here, working in the vineyards daily. Situated in Traben-Trarbach, many of their vineyards fell into obscurity in the
latter half of the 20th century, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The fact is that these vines have not seen the “modernization” that many sites
in the Mosel have, which means these cliff-vineyards still have their jutting, ladder-like terraces. On these terraces, they have a high density of
very old, un-grafted vines. Weiser-Künstler makes wines exceptional Prädikat wines, but they also make dry wines – dainty angels carved from
mineral and slate that feel like porcelain in their weight and purity. As of 2015, they are moving towards complete organic certification.
Peter Lauer
Over the last few years, Florian Lauer, proprietor of Peter Lauer in the Saar, has gone from relatively unknown, to wine geek darling, to cult classic, to
finally, an established, blue-chip estate. Florian’s general style is exactly the opposite of his famous Saar neighbors Egon Müller and Hanno Zilliken.
At Lauer, the focus is on dry-tasting Rieslings as opposed to the residual sugar, Prädikat wines (Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese) of the latter two.
Employing natural-yeast fermentations, Lauer’s wines find their own balance. They tend to be more textural, deeper and more masculine, yet the
hallmarks of the Saar are there: purity, precision, rigor, mineral. Florian’s main playground is the breathtaking hillside of the Ayler Kupp. Though the
many vineyards of this mountain were unified (obliterated?) under the single name "Kupp" with the 1971 German wine law, it has been Florian’s life’s
work to keep the old vineyard names alive. Lauer bottles based on "fass", or cask, numbers that are often aligned with these pre-1971 vineyard
names. However, one shouldn’t take the fass numbers too seriously; they are based on the parcels that historically went into these fass and the style
of wine they most often produced. One example, "Fass 6 – Senior", is based on a selection that Florian’s grandfather made every year for his
personal consumption. On this barrel, he would write "Senior", and according to Florian, nine times out of ten, his grandfather would pick Fass 6,
which held wine sourced from the western-most region of the Kupp. Thus, today, the wine from this parcel is called "Fass 6 – Senior". In any case, the
results are undeniable: intensity without weight, grandiosity without size, clarity, and cut.
Rheinhessen
Seehof
The Rheinhessen has seen a rebirth the likes of which could not be fathomed even just ten years ago. This horrid, flat farmland and birthplace of
"Liebfraumilch", so it turns out, can produce world-class Riesling. Klaus Peter Keller has proven this point with emphasis. If there is a downside to this
glory, it is the creeping influence of the international wine press. For the 30-second taste test and the ever important score, fireworks always win. This
means young producers trying to make names for themselves focus on concentration, weight, density, power. Florian Fauth, the young winemaker at
his family estate, is the counterpoint to this trend. His wines eschew weight for fineness, power for clarity, fireworks for whispers; Florian has clearly
spoken quite a bit with his friend and brother-in-law Klaus Peter Keller. For the wines of the Rheinhessen, the key is limestone. This is what gives the
wines their glycerin-induced sexiness, but is also what gives them the flair of acidity, a presence strong enough to counter the lavish extract and to
keep the wines from feeling gooey or too heavy. At the moment Florian at Seehof is making some of the most charming and compelling Rheinhessen
wines around. The wines, both the dry and off-dry, are crystalline and pure with buoyant fruit and plenty of energy. For the money, you just can’t find
anything better.
Pfalz
Brand
Young brothers Daniel and Jonas Brand (both in their twenties) recently took over their family’s century-old estate, and are quickly breathing new life
into this former workhorse of the Northern Pfalz. The kids are smart, eager, and dialed into the growing natural wine scene both in Germany and in
neighboring France. They’re just starting to make waves –– converting all their viticulture to organic (certified as of 2015) and are experimenting like
crazy in the cellar. They have a pét-nat that’s so popular it sells out before they’ve even made it, and they make the best organic, entry-level liters of
dry Riesling and Weissburgunder you’ll ever find. The Nordpfalz borders the Rheinessen (their village is closer to Keller’s than to anybody famous in
the Pfalz), and that airy but firm sensibility informs these bright and mineral-laden wines.
Baden
Enderle & Moll
Enderle & Moll is really just two guys, a tiny cellar, a few hectares of old vines, and a hell of a lot of buzz – even Jancis Robinson has called them
“cult". Sven Enderle and Florian Moll farm a total of 2.1ha on the western fringe of the Black Forest. Most of their Pinot comes from two sites: one with
25-45 years old vines planted in colored sandstone (Buntsandstein), and one other miniscule plot (0.045ha total) from four tiny terraces, home to 60
years old vines (the oldest in the region) planted in shell limestone (Muschelkalk). All work in the vineyard is done by hand, yields are low, and
vineyard work is organic/biodynamic. Walking through the vineyard, it is easy to see where the Enderle & Moll plots begin and end, so clear is the
vitality of their vines and soil. Sven and Florian are hands-off in the cellar and it shows in the wines. Parcels are vinified separately, with one-third
whole clusters. Grapes are crushed in an old wooden basket press and then go into secondhand Burgundian barrels (mostly from Domaine Dujac).
Bottling, like everything else, is done by hand, and there is no fining or filtration. Because they don’t care for the quality criteria for Pinots in Baden,
they’ve decided to declassify their Pinot Noir as a Tafelwein, which legally disallows them from putting vineyard names on the label. Florian thinks it
foolish to automatically equate higher ripeness levels with better quality and that doing so often leads to overripe, high-alcohol wines with lots of
extract and a shortage of acidity and delicacy. These are delicious Pinots (to say nothing of their Müller-Thurgau, which is likely the best version of
that grape you will ever taste) of enormous integrity, made with undeniable passion and point of view. Also, Sven Enderle has the best facial hair in
the wine business with the possible exception of Jo Landron. Silly-limited production.
Shelter Winery
Hans-Bert Espe and Silke Wolf farm roughly 5ha in the not-so-famous region of Baden. Let’s go ahead and equate not-so-famous with not-so-ripe
and we get, immediately, a sense of the philosophy here. There are lots of words we would use to describe the bulldozer-Pinots we’ve tasted from
Baden over the years; delicacy would not be one of them. Until we tasted with Hans-Bert and Silke. This husband-and-wife team has spent the last
decade in the nooks and crannies of the wine-geek world, slowly building a reputation for pristine, delicate Pinot Noirs from Baden (there, we’ve used
the word). You might call them understated, though the rather petite structure and lively animation of the wines gives way to a mid-palate that is
awash with sweet perfumed fruit, transparent and mineral. In style, sensibility and size, they remind us quite a bit of Weiser-Künstler in the Mosel
(indeed they are all friends) – except this is Pinot Noir, from Baden. You may have to remind yourself of this when you’re tasting the wines.
Württemberg
Weingut Beurer
A one time European BMX champion running a small garagiste estate in Württemberg, at the farthest southern end of Germany, Jochen Beurer could
hardly be farther removed from the staid, landed traditions of his more Northern neighbors. His dry, terroir saturated wines from a variety of Jurassic
and Triassic soils on the hills around Kernen im Remstal have similarly little in common with historical conceptions of "German Riesling". These are,
first and foremost, "Swabian" wines, steeped in the traditions of a region that has long remained outside the national mainstream. The Beurer family
have farmed their land just outside of Stuttgart for generations, growing fruit and making wine that typically ended up in the bottles of the local coop.
Then, in 1997, Jochen, his wife, Marion, and father, Sigfried, set out on their own, making and bottling the wine for themselves. In 2003, Jochen
started experimenting with organic viticulture and spontaneous fermentations, converting fully to biodynamics over the next few years (now certified
by Demeter). Today, we can think of no other winemaker whose wines speak of the soil – a mixture of ancient lime and sandstones, and the ancient
Keuper soils beneath them – as much as Jochen’s do. Respect for nature and patience are reflected everywhere: in cool years, Jochen is inevitably
the last to pick, successive tries are the norm, and spontaneous fermentations follow their own course, usually including malolactic. Élevages are
similarly slow and careful, with wines being committed to bottle only when Jochen feels that the time is exactly right. The results are singular: a range
of completely unforced yet strikingly intense wines that are long, structured, and saturated in Swabian minerality.
Niederösterreich – Kremstal
Weingut Müller-Grossmann
At the foot of Göttweig Mountain in the traditional winegrowing region Kremstal, the mother/daughter team of Helma and Marlies Müller-
Grossmann sustainably farm 10ha of vineyards. Focusing nearly exclusively on white wines, Müller-Grossmann lets the gravelly, loess soils do the
talking, choosing to bottle their wines by vineyard site. Everything is harvested by hand, and the same desire to express the unique characteristics
of their vineyards follows through to the cellar, where Müller-Grossman takes a traditional, hands-off approach. Helma and Marlies are even part of
an organization called "11 Frauen & Ihre Weine", a group of eleven female winemakers in Austria, banded together to support each other.
Niederösterreich – Wachau
Weingut Josef Jamek
Jamek is one of the historic estates of the Wachau; along with FX Pichler, Hirtzberger and Prager, they were the force behind the group known as
the Vinea Wachau, which demanded the highest quality of the region and created the language we use to talk about the great wines of the Wachau
today (Smaragd for the most powerful of the wines, Federspiel for the more delicate, etc.). Jamek was, without a doubt, at the forefront of this
renaissance, and it should not come as a surprise: Jamek has some of the most coveted vineyards in the Wachau, including the terraced titans of
Klaus and Achleiten. Harvested by hand and fermented in stainless before aging in large, old barrels, these are very "grown-up" kinds of wines;
solid, durable, and authoritative, they are sometimes hard to read just because they aren’t sheet-metal brilliant. But with age, the wines truly shine.
Burgenland – Leithaberg
Tinhof
After studying wine in Vienna, Montpelier, and a stint at the legendary Mas de Daumas-Gassac in Southern France, Erwin Tinhof has returned to
farm the 14ha of vineyards on the slopes of the Leitha Mountains that have been passed down through his family for 11 generations. Farming
organically since 2008 (certification came in 2012), Erwin carefully dry-farms the estate, which is home to vines that are up to 50 years old. There
is no use of insecticides, herbicides, or artificial fertilizers, and after hand harvesting the grapes, the wines are all made with minimal intervention
in the cellar.
Italy
Valle d'Aosta
Feudo di San Maurizio
Michel Vallet works in the small Alpine town of Sarre in the Valle d’Aosta region. The population of 4,878 people enjoy the sunniest part of this Alpine
valley as it climbs toward Mont Blanc. The icy air and warm sun give perfect tans to vintage skiers and a bevy of rare native grapes: Fumin, Petit
Arvine, Mayolet, and (even rarer) Cornalin and Vuillermin. Michel started in 1998 to recover three ancient stone terraced vineyards that were
abandoned during Italy’s ‘boom economico’ of the 1960s. He is slowly expanding the terraced areas to accommodate more vineyards. The wines are
not traditional in the rustic sense, nor are they modern in the highly-polished sense. What they do have is an exceptionally precise and tightly
composed architecture of fruits, minerals, and bitter components that neither leap out of the glass nor remain stubbornly shy. Hand harvested, native
yeast, minimal to no intervention in the cellar.
Piero Brunet
Morgex and La Salle are neighboring villages at the foot of Mont Blanc in the Alta Valle, or High Valley, of the Vallée d’Aoste. The local grape variety,
Prié Blanc, was brought to fame by Alexandre Bougeat who, besides serving as parish priest of Morgex, began bottling wine in 1964. In 1985, Piero
Brunet took over his family’s vineyards and purchased a part of the original vineyards of "Curé Bougeat". Piero, his wife, and their two daughters now
farm 4ha of high-altitude (1000-1200m), steeply-terraced, pergola-trained, own-rooted, organic vines and make just over 300 cases of their single and
singular wine. Lovers of heroic viticulture and Alpine wines, take note!
Piemonte
Colombera & Garella
300 million years ago, a volcano created the raw material for seven tiny but geographically complex appellations collectively known as Alto Piemonte,
an area about two hours north-northeast of Barolo and Barbaresco, literally at the ‘foot’ of the Alps. After years of abandon, this once great bastion of
Italian wines is now being revitalized by a few key producers. If you haven’t started exploring this area, you’re missing out on the glory of Nebbiolo
when combined with local varieties, as well as a study in the area’s unique soils. Our friend Cristiano Garella, native wünderkind and former
winemaker at Tenute Sella through 2013, is one of the master-keys of the area. He’s helping wineries here appreciate and reinvest in the vineyards
and cantine. Colombera & Garella, as the name suggests, is his most intimate contribution among the many wineries he collaborates with. The
Colombera part is Giacomo, Cristiano’s long-time friend, and Giacomo Colombera’s father, Carlo, who’s been growing grapes in the area since the
early 1990s. Colombera & Garella’s winery and vineyards are mostly in the Bramaterra and Coste della Sesia appellations just west of Gattinara and
Ghemme, though they’ve ventured into the yellow and red-ochre sands of Lessona as well. The vineyards all sit between 350-400m in elevation in
the high-acid, volcanic soils of the region, giving the wines a ferrous, sanguine minerality and lower alcohol than their cousins from the Langhe.
Fermentations are all carried out with native yeast with aging in used barrique. No fining, filtering, or other additions.
M. Sokolin
After working as a sommelier in San Francisco at Michael Mina and Acquarello, Mitchell Sokolin decided to spend the last several years traveling the
globe learning to make in both hemispheres, at places like Mac Forbes in Australia. Finally, for his first solo project, he settled down in the southern
part of Castilla y León in Sierra de Salamanca. Always searching for new and interesting opportunities, Mitchell began sniffing around the Langhe
for his second project. Inspired by producers like Vajra, Olek Bondonio, Chionetti, and Abonna, Mitchell decided to search out interesting parcels of
Dolcetto, convinced that in the right hands, it can producer floral, perfumed wines full of interest and character. He eventually found the right site, a
beautiful north-facing slope on white soils, just on the Dogliani side of Monforte. The fruit was fermented in stainless steel with almost half as whole
bunches and the rest destemmed on top. After two weeks in tank, it was pressed off into old 300L barrels to finish fermentation. The wine made it to
bottle with no fining, no filtration, and no additions besides SO2.
Mauro Franchino
Gattinara is the most renowned DOCG of nine tiny but geographically complex appellations, collectively known as Alto Piemonte. The three largest
producers collectively have around 90 of the 100 hectares of vineyard in the appellation. That leaves 10 highly fractionalized hectares for some
hobbyists and a handful of nearly forgotten vignaioli. These vignerons still hold onto the tradition of using a sketch of the crumbling Gattinara tower on
their labels. Signor Franchino is one of these old-schoolers – no faxes or emails. Most of the time when we call or visit, he’s in the vineyard, while his
Nebbiolo sits patiently in the old garagiste cellar in Gattinara’s centro storico. This Nebbiolo has little color. It’s pale, concise, honest, and comfortable
with long stretches of silence between its notes of salt, iron, red currants, and rose hip tea. Both the Gattinara and Coste della Sesia are 100%
Nebbiolo. Go on and bring a little old world Gattinara soul to your Nebbiolo fix.
Stefano Vegis
Stefano Vegis is a traditional Gattinara garagiste, with rows of vines in multiple vineyards, including 0.6ha in Gattinara’s historically most famous cru
called "Osso", or ‘Bone’. His part of "Osso" is locally called "Osso del Sasso", or ‘Bone of Rock’, on account of a huge porphyritic-granitic rock in the
middle of the vineyard. "Osso" fruit is known to give nervous and vertical wines, and Vegis’ wines echo that. They also have that alluring crepuscular,
lighter-than-air, quality that Nebbiolo can have. All of which is pretty amazing, since his first bottled vintage was 2013. Stefano is moving away from
conventional farming, which is the norm in Gattinara. He uses only fungicides or Bordeaux mixture when necessary in humid years, so no herbicides
or pesticides. We applaud his direction toward more natural wines in an area difficult to do that. We’re curious to see what the following vintages will
bring from Stefano as we believe he is one of the rising stars in the area.
Tenuta Monolo
Tenuta Monolo is an eccentric little Italian story. We’re in the Bramaterra growing area of Alto Piemonte, an area dear to our hearts, with its wild
volcanic and marine soils, just north of Barolo at the base of the Alps. Here Nebbiolo is more harpsichord, rather than cello-Barolo in tone, with spicy
notes from the additional varieties of Vespolina and Croatina. The cantina was once part of a villa that contained over 40,000 volumes of manuscripts
and books on philosophy, classical music (especially Baroque and Renaissance), and art. Surrounded by 0.75ha of vineyards, the villa on the hill
acted as the home for the eccentric musician Umberto Gilodi, and his lifelong friend and cellar master Orlando Cremonini. Gilodi was often called the
‘Padre di Bramaterra’ for his role in creating the Bramaterra DOC in 1979. Since he was the main voice and impetus in creating the DOC, he decided
never to sell his wine so he wouldn’t have a conflict of interest with the other producers in the area. Thus, we have bottles of multiple vintages, directly
from the cantina. We’ve acquired the entire cellar, with vintages from 1982 to 2004, as a way to give homage to these men, and also to fill in a missing
piece of Bramaterra’s enological history – no other winery in Bramaterra has such a large stock of back vintages. The wines differ wildly from year to
year, and they can be a bit (charmingly) rustic. They lived a simple life, all farming was organic. Gilodi was a meticulous note taker and we have his
documents that attest to not using pesticides or herbicides in a time when most in that area were. Fermentation was in large wood botti, using native
yeasts. The vineyards, and so too probably the wines, were 60% Nebbiolo, 20% Croatina, 10% Vespolina, 10% Uva Rara. These are historic wines
with lots of character and represent the first labeled Bramaterra bottles.
Umberto Fracassi
Umberto Fracassi’s family has been producing Barolo since 1880, a time when Barolo went from being 'un vino dolce' to the grande vino secco that
we all know today. After the Second World War, Marchese Fracassi, or simply Umberto, dedicated himself to carrying on the family tradition of
producing old-school Barolo in Slavonian oak botti. The town of Cherasco sits at the northwest corner of the Barolo zone, just west of La Morra and
Verduno, and its growing area includes Fracassi’s 2ha Barolo monopole cru, Mantoetto. This area is also known as Italy’s capital of snail production.
Umberto also produces some white Favorita (Vermentino) that’s a good way to start a meal, as the Barolo is opening up in the decanter.
Valli Unite
In southeast Piemonte, Valli Unite may be Italy’s only natural wine cooperative, where vineyards lie amid beehives, farm animals, orchards, and
truffle-filled woodlands. From honey to homemade salame and wine between, 30 members work on the 100ha farm and call it home. During harvest,
you can still stomp grapes with your bare feet here. Their wines range from the glou glou bottlings of Alessandrino, Bianchino, and a crown cap
farmer fizz, to more complex natural wines, such as their lithesome Derthona with the local Timorasso variety. “We believe natural vinification is a
social responsibility,” is the philosophy; soil humus, livestock manure, native yeasts, local grapes, time, and parsimonious sulfur compose the winning
formula. Visit one morning, work hard, and then stay for the communal lunch. It’s a visit unlike any other winery – I mean working farm – that I’ve
been to.
Vigneti Massa
It’s hard not to get worked up about Walter Massa’s wines. He had a vision for a variety nobody wanted (Timorasso), worked in obscurity for years,
rescued the grape, and doesn’t talk about himself but instead about the territory of Colli Tortonesi. When you get lost going there, start asking people
100 kilometers out; they all know and love him, from the gas station guy to the producer next door. You'll often hear it bandied about: "There are
thousands of native grape varieties in Italy!" That's true, but a lot of them are merely cute. Timorasso, however, deserves another category (and it’s
white to boot). It’s utterly unique, complex, capable of aging, and transparent to where it's grown. Walter is the 'contadino straordinario' who started to
replant the variety in the 1980s and remains the leading producer and go-to grower for Timorasso today. We often say that Timorasso is like Ali: 'Float
like a butterfly (baroque fruit and honeyed minerality) and sting like a bee (lots of well-integrated acidity). Remarkable and distinctive red wines made
from Barbera, Croatina, and Freisa demonstrate that Walter is more than just the "King of Timorasso".
Veneto
Bella Vita
While our focus is on small growers that work well in the vineyard and the cellar, we also understand the realities and needs of our customers. So,
we found a Pinot Grigio from Treviso that fits in qualitatively with our portfolio, and that we feel good about offering at a great price. Made by the third
generation, sibling winemaking team of Annalisa, Alessandro, Carlo, and Luca Botter (also responsible for Bella Vita Montepulciano from their
holdings in Abruzzo).
Le Vigne di Alice
Sisters-in-law Cinzia Canzian and Pier Francesca Bonicelli started Alice in 2004 to fulfill their dream of bottling artisanal Prosecco thatʼs all their own:
estate fruit, pre-Dolomite, grower Prosecco. We call it Prosecco for non-Prosecco lovers (a category that includes us). It didnʼt take long to understand
that these women are joyful, caring, and have a passion for real wine (including the grower Champagne and Jura wines they also import to Italy). At
the same time, they are utterly serious, precise, and determined to produce amazing Prosecchi. Their 9ha of vineyards are worked without herbicides
or pesticides and all weeding is done by hand. Soils are of glacial moraine origin: chalky, rocky, lean, and full of minerals. They have taken their
sustainability even further by constructing a green winery with grass on the roof and solar panels that supply more than half of their energy. Their work
in the cellar mirrors their dedication in the vineyards. From an incredibly long Charmat for their single-vineyard wine, "Doro", to using Metodo Classico
on ".g", to experimenting with Metodo Integrale (i.e. not disgorged) on "P.S.", these women are truly pushing the boundaries of quality in this often
unfairly criticized region.
Nevio Scala
Soccer fans know Nevio Scala as the player-turned-coach who took the underdog provincial team of Parma to become champions in the ’80s and ’90s.
His son, Claudio, just three vintages in, is echoing his father’s underdog success with the provincial volcanic-alluvial soils of the Colli Euganei in the
Veneto. Claudio puts the local grape of Garganega as center midfielder (the same grape that you find in Soave, though not always without a touch of
Sauvignon Blanc). Claudio picks just before the grapes are perfectly ripe, and he’s not scared of a bit of oxidation. Work in their 8ha of vineyards is
completely organic, but they also raise crops such as wheat, barley, hemp, and beans, and hedge the vineyards with hazel, elder, and wild roses to
encourage biodiversity and give a nesting place for useful local fauna. In the cellar, all fermentations are spontaneous, minimal SO2 is added only
when needed, and everything is bottled unfined and unfiltered. What results are delicate, volcanic-spicy, and refreshing wines, with a hint of oxidation
to add complexity.
Serata
While our focus is on small growers that work well in the vineyard and the cellar, we also understand the realities and needs of our customers. So, we
found a Prosecco that fits in qualitatively with our portfolio, and that we feel good about offering at a great price. Made by a family winery outside of
Vittoria Veneto in the foothills of the Dolomites. Their vineyards are farmed sustainably without herbicides, solar panels are used for electricity, and
large amounts of the property are left as woodlands to encourage biodiversity.
Emilia-Romagna
Casalpriore
When Gabriele Ronzoni “retired” seven years ago at the age of 70, he decided to start making wine full time. Back in 1987, he had purchased a 2.3ha
farm near Modena with a neglected 17th-century farmhouse. Initially only making wine for friends and family, he is now producing enough Lambrusco
that we can benefit from this labor of love. Working organically is deeply important to the Ronzoni Family. His daughter Francesca is an herbalist and
his other daughter Giovanna left journalism and started a company that makes products for organic farmers. So, when Gabriele began making wine,
there was no question that he would work organically. He has never used herbicides or synthetic pesticides, only manure for fertilizer. When he
uses sulfur, it is in very small doses and the wines have never exceeded the legal limit. Gabriele uses the Sobara grape as the base wine for his
Lambrusco. Awarded its DOC classification in 1970, Sobara is considered the highest-quality Lambrusco clone that produces the most fragrant wines.
He also uses a small amount of Salamino, Maestri, Ancellotta, and Malbo clones. And if all of this wasn't enough to convince you to give Lambrusco
another try, apparently the wine has health benefits. These local grape varieties have a high concentration of flavonoids and antioxidants, so Gabriele
believes you will have a sense of well-being after you drink his wines. If this is retirement, sign me up!
Gradizzolo
On weekends, Antonio Ognibene's wife cooks up some delicious tortellini in brodo in their agriturismo for the city dwellers from Bologna looking to
pass a bucolic Sunday in the countryside. It's the perfect dish to eat with these earthy wines grown on top of Monteveglio in the Colli Bolognesi.
Antonio heads up the winery and is a man of few words, most of which he saves for his vines. He works primarily with the native white Pignoletto
(aka Grechetto Gentile), and the rare red Negrettino, of which Antonio is one of only two producers in the region. The surrounding marl soils give
these wines a touch more tension and structure than others in the area. Rigorously organic, Antonio fought with all the local producers on the merits
of native yeasts, and his wines are more interesting for it. Antonio is also an intuitive and sensitive taster and cultivator of vines; he has names for
many of the vines and holds them as his own children, knowing which gave two bunches one year and none the next. These are traditional and
charming wines for a lazy Sunday lunch, wines that have been left to ferment and decant naturally with the seasons, and released when they are
ready. You can taste the wholeness of the fruit, the depth and texture of work well done in the vineyards. Start rolling out that tortellini dough.
Toscana
Brusco
Project Fuso21: regional, terroir-driven, daily drinkers, from farmers we know here in Italy – from their vineyards to your table. These are like the
wines you’ll find in a good trattoria when traveling in Italy, made from the native varieties that the locals drink. Keeping true to vini quotidiani, we
choose deliciousness over complexity and polish. All are vinified in cement or steel, lightly or not filtered, and delicious. The project connects growers
in small towns throughout Italy to folks just like us who don’t want industrial plonk for daily drinkers. “Brusco” is still used in the Tuscan dialect today
defining a person or thing that is off the cuff and a bit rough but genuine through and through. This is 100% Sangiovese made by one of our Chianti
Classico producers, Tenuta Maiano from their certified organic estate fruit in Montespertoli, Tuscany. Soils are limestone with silt below composed of
marine sand and clay. The fruit is all destemmed with fermentation and aging in old-school cement tanks with native yeast.
Il Borghetto
If you think you’ve seen all of Chianti’s expressions, Il Borghetto’s extremely detailed and ethereal Sangiovese may surprise you. Owner Antonio
Cavallini is an outsider, as the Chianti consortium has often denied him DOCG status for his wines. They cite his use of Burgundy bottles and other
"problems" with the wine. As Bob Dylan sings in Absolutely Sweet Marie, "To live outside the law, you must be honest." And it’s no secret that some
of Italy’s best producers, some of it's most honest producers, are living "outside the [DOC/G] law." Antonio organically farms 5ha of vineyards and
12ha of olive groves in Montefiridolfi, a hilltop town in the northwest corner of Chianti Classico. The area could be considered a 'sottozona' or
subzone of the San Casciano zone. The clay soil with some limestone has excellent water retention and gives wines with finesse, freshness, and
elegance, even during hot and dry vintages. The vineyard consists of an interesting mix of Sangiovese clones and biotypes (e.g. F9/R24 Biondi Santi
clone). The harvest takes place in multiple passes row by row. The musts are then fermented in multiple parcels in the cellar before a final blending.
Antonio ferments using a percentage of whole clusters, which is unusual in Italy. This technique gives the wines a distinctive aromatic elegance and
silky tannins. The approach in the cellar, in general, is minimal intervention, including native yeast fermentations in large open concrete vats or plastic
containers. There are no pumps, and all racking is with gravity. Herbal notes, crushed flowers, and elegant fruit describe the wines in general. If these
Sangiovese wines are made by a Chianti outsider, I say let him in.
Le Masse di Lamole
Lamole could be thought of as a sub-zone of Chianti Classico with its unique, high altitude vineyards (400-650m), grown on marl and sandstone soils.
Lamole produces elegant wines that are often described as 'profumati' or aromatic (red fruits, rosa canina, Iris flower, orange zest), with structure built
more on acidity rather than tannins. Toscana, yes, but nothing rustic here. Le Masse di Lamole has the highest vineyards in the area at 650m. The
mountaintop vineyards are unprotected and are home to some 100+ year-old, albarello (bush) vines, many of which are planted on their own roots
(thanks to the sandstone soils in the area). Sometimes I think owners Anna Maria and Giuliano worship Zeus, for their Sangiovese is electric. A very
humble cellar is cut out of the wall of a medieval borgo. Vinification is done in steel without temperature controls, then botti di castagno (Chestnut, not
Slavonian oak) of 15 and 25 HL that don’t have a manufacturer’s name since they were made by local artisans over 100 years ago. Lamole is a
special area and there are few wines I wouldn’t want to drink there. But, I have to put an extra wink in for Le Masse. Maybe it’s just me and a perverse
desire to swallow Sangiovese-lightning and live to tell about it.
Sorrelle Palazzi
The Palazzi sisters started their winery in 1973 in the heart of the Pisan Hills (Colline Pisane), between Pisa and Volterra. The estate is now under
the control of the sisters’ nephew, Guido, who recently received his degree in enology and agronomy. Of the 24ha here, 11ha are vineyards, 9ha are
olive groves (both certified organic), with the remaining part being forest and the agriturismo. The surrounding woods and shrubs provide an excellent
ecosystem for these charming and earthy wines. The soils here are mostly clay with sand and chalk, and the temperature is tempered by the
proximity to the sea, making for softer, less incisive tannins than you’d usually find in Chianti Classicos. All this means that the wine works really well
for all those dishes that aren’t heavy but aren’t really light either – such as Cornish hens. The cellar is really a large garage with the old cement tanks
from the '50s being used for the Sangiovese bottling and the Chianti; the Riserva gets some large wood botti. The only small wood to be found is the
chestnut and cherry for the Vin Santo. All fermentations here are spontaneous.
Umbria
Marco Merli
Marco is a naturalista in Umbria, just outside of Perugia, in a town called the House of the Devil (Casa del Diavolo). He has taken over various high-
altitude vineyards around him that have a mix of native grapes such as Grechetto, Malvasia, Verdicchio, Moscato, Trebbiano, and Sangiovese. His
cellar is filled with re-conditioned small cement tanks – the kinds that farmers would use for home production – except Marco has dozens of them, so
he can follow each parcel per tank up to bottling. The wines are a bit of eco-chic rustic, with punchy acidity and just a touch of fruit. A great addition to
the portfolio from a region in which it’s not easy to find something that really shines.
Le Salse
Project Fuso21: regional, terroir-driven, daily drinkers, from farmers we know here in Italy – from their vineyards to your table. These are like the
wines you’ll find in a good trattoria when traveling in Italy, made from the native varieties that the locals drink. Keeping true to vini quotidiani, we
choose deliciousness over complexity and polish. All are vinified in cement or steel, lightly or not filtered, and delicious. The project connects growers
in small towns throughout Italy to folks just like us who don’t want industrial plonk for daily drinkers. This wine is made by Cantine Belisario, a high-
quality co-op in Matelica, whose members are all committed to working sustainably and organically in the vineyards. It’s our response to the ocean of
Pinot Grigio that has washed up on U.S. shores: refreshing, versatile, glug-able, but with the real character that most Pinot Grigios lack. The
vineyards are on top of a Jurassic-period raised seabed, near saltwater springs called 'le salse' (from 'sale' meaning salt) at an altitude of 450 meters.
Lazio
Podere Orto
Podere Orto lies on Lazio’s high plains at 600m elevation in an area called L’Alta Tuscia Viterbese, or simply Tuscia. It’s a bit of a Bermuda Triangle,
between Italy’s center and south, at the 'trivium' of Lazio, Umbria, and Tuscany. When Chianti Classico is getting too hot in the summer, this is a good
place to come to cool off. Many of the grapes grown here are biotypes of varieties found in Toscana, but these wines are more nervous, with more
tension and a skeined elegance. Part of this is due to the diverse varieties, but just as important is the high altitude and complex soils, including blue
limestone marls. Giuliano Salesi and Simona De Vecchis planted their vineyards here in 2009 from a massale selection gleaned from abandoned
vineyards in the area. In 2011, they completed the restoration of their small farmhouse and cellar. Today, they are making fine, natural wines with
minimal intervention: there are no chemicals used in the vineyards, instead preferring biodynamic treatments, weeds are all pulled by hand, and the
wines are fermented with native yeasts without any additives. The resulting wines are a keen, fine, and natural expression of utterly unique varieties
and soils.
Abruzzo
Bella Vita
While our focus is on small growers that work well in the vineyard and the cellar, we also understand the realities and needs of our customers. So, we
found an old vine Montepulciano that fits in qualitatively with our portfolio, and that we feel good about offering at a great price. Made by the third
generation, sibling winemaking team of Annalisa, Alessandro, Carlo, and Luca Botter (also responsible for Bella Vita Pinot Grigio from their holdings
in the Veneto).
Q500
In 2006, Maurizio di Nicola aided by his great-nephew began the work of recuperating a century-old farm in the village of Colle Trotta, situated in the
shadow of the 2900m Gran Sasso mountain in Abruzzo. The crops include farro fields, fruit and olive trees, and 3.5ha of vineyards. Maurizio calls the
wines Q500 (Quota 500) because all of the vineyards sit at 500m or higher (and incidentally, they look down on Valentini’s). Farming is certified
organic, fermentations are indigenous, and the wines are unfiltered.
Campania
Antica Masseria Venditti
Back in 1988, the Italian wine guide Gambero Rosso introduced the word "organic" for the first time in its review of Venditti’s wines. Those who still
believe that “organic” equals “unscientific” should think again. Nicola Venditti is both an enologist and the very incarnation of a contadino (farmer). The
vineyards have been in the family for over 400 years — thus the “antica” part of Antica Masseria — and he is deeply passionate about his territory of
Sannio, adjacent to better-known Taurasi. Nicola eschews oak and kneels at the altar of steel, thus letting all of the wines really show the clean and
distinct fruit of their native grapes (some of which only he cultivates). His cantina is squeaky clean, and he gladly whistles out pH and acid levels for
those inclined. This humanist-techno-geek approach, he explains, is a combination of the “humanity” of ancient methods and local varieties, together
with the “rationality” offered by technology. The new "Assenza" (meaning, "not containing" or, "absent of") wines are made completely without SO2.
Cantine Matrone
The Matrone family has been cultivating vines on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius, just east of Naples, since the 1700s. Fast forward to this century,
when Andrea Matrone and his cousin Francesco reappropriated the original 18th-century family cantina and 2.3ha of vineyards on the southern
slopes of Vesuvius. If Etna’s volcanic wines are noble, Vesuvius’ are wild, with potassium and iron-rich volcanic soils providing more funky bitter and
salt notes. There’s a bianco made mostly from Caprettone (which may be none other than Trebbiano d’Abruzzo according to Andrea), a part of which
sees two days of skin contact, and a rosso made mostly from Piedirosso with other local varieties. Farming is uncertified organic and fermentations
are with a pied de cuve from the local vineyard yeasts. This is another compelling, young producer springing from an old family tradition — a
combination that increasingly is making some of the most exciting wines in Italy.
Pierluigi Zampaglione
Pierluigi Zampaglione’s family has farmed tomatoes, grains, and beans for generations in the town of Calitri, located 75 miles east of Avellino in the
Alta Irpinia. In 2002, Pierluigi decided to plant 2ha of Fiano vines at 800 meters of elevation and to make a single wine called "Don Chisciotte" (Don
Quixote – among other things, Pierluigi sees his vineyards and himself as tilting at the windmill farms that dot the Alta Irpinia landscape). Farming is
certified organic. All stainless steel, native yeasts, extended skin contact, very little sulfur, no other additives, and no filtration. The wine is complex
and chock full of character on the highest elevation Fiano vineyards we know of.
Puglia
Calx
Project Fuso21: regional, terroir-driven, daily drinkers, from farmers we know here in Italy – from their vineyards to your table. These are like the
wines you’ll find in a good trattoria when traveling in Italy, made from the native varieties that the locals drink. Keeping true to vini quotidiani, we
choose deliciousness over complexity and polish. All are vinified in cement or steel, lightly or not filtered, and delicious. The project connects growers
in small towns throughout Italy to folks just like us who don’t want industrial plonk for daily drinkers. Calx Primitivo is made by Filippo Cassano.
Filippo's certified organic vineyards are located in Gioia del Colle, a quick 30-minute drive inland west of Bari and home to the highest elevation
vineyards in Puglia. Soils are deep red clay with an underlying base of pure limestone, which, when combined with the elevation, gives wines that
have plenty of fruit, while still retaining their freshness and minerality. Fruit from Filippo's 20-year-old vines is hand harvested, fermented with native
yeasts in stainless steel, and also aged entirely in steel with only a small amount of SO2 added for bottling.
Calabria
Giuseppe Calabrese
Giuseppe Calabrese tends 4ha of mostly bush-trained old vines in the Pollino Mountains of northern Calabria, in the ancient town of Saracena. He
works without peer in this remote area; to say he’s plowing the rough road is an understatement. The winter’s here are bracing, summers are fresh,
thanks to the nearby mountains and high altitude (400 meters). The soil is a mix of Neogene marine deposits and limestone, as seen by the many
ancient limestone caves you find in the area. Giuseppe’s wines are an echo of the local wildness, and the ancient Saracean civilization, which still
imbues the area. His works focuses on the local native grapes. The red is the intriguing and moody Magliocco Dolce: smoky and salty, with black
fruits and grainy tannins. The limestone and 40+ year old bush vines make a difference. His white is from Guarnaccia (a synonym for the Campanian
variety Coda di Volpe) and Malvasia, and it is an exercise in controlled oxidation that will be a stunner for fans of the Jura ouillé genre who are looking
for more than roasted nuts. These are exciting times for Calabria, and exciting wines from a place far away and relatively unknown.
Silvio Carta
The Carta family has been making (and storing) wine in the sleepy coastal town of Oristano for generations. The local grape is Vernaccia (though not
the one from Gimignano). The vine was possibly introduced by the Phoenicians or it was cultivated from wild vines of the Tirso valley. The style is
"oxidative", but no Englishman created or discovered this wine (as happened in Marsala). And maybe that’s a shame because these wines deserve
to be better known outside their home. The wine is vinified dry, and the nose is chalky and intriguing. Multiple aged vintages are available. The
register is something new for us, falling somewhere amid the mineral tones of Fino, the nuttiness of Marsala, and a bit of passito fruit.
Sicilia
Alcesti
Gianfranco Palladino and family are making honest, pure wines from local grapes in the Marsala region of Sicily. Certified organic farming and hand-
harvesting in a region and price-point that isn’t always the norm. Our idea of fresh, Sicilian wines ready to drink; both are fermented and aged in
stainless steel.
I Custodi
Mount Etna is a current darling of the Italian wine scene, and I Custodi is among the 21st-century Etna Renaissance producers who are now making
wines as compelling as the active volcano’s cooled lava flows. Founder Mario Paoluzi has teamed up with Etna guru Salvo Foti and I Vigneri, the local
vineyard workers who tend the ancient albarello vines and volcanic terracing. The Etna Rosso "Pistus" (mostly Nerello Mascalese) comes from Etna’s
north slope, where the wines are known to be structured and savoury. In 1774, the Florentine scholar Sestini called them ‘navigabile’ or ship-worthy,
keeping after long voyages. Don’t miss 150+ year-old vines mostly-Nerello cru "Aetneus". The racy Etna Bianco "Ante" (mostly Carricante) comes
from 1200m high vineyards on the sea-influenced eastern slopes; raw fish come alive with this wine. "Alnus" is the traditional ‘pista e mutta’ (press
and rack) Etna rosato. Organic.
Mortellito
Val di Noto sits in the southeast corner of the Sicilian triangle, dipping down to the latitude of North Africa. In spite of the warm climate, the local
varieties (especially Grillo and Frappato) and white limestone soils are capable of producing balanced wines with tension and moderate alcohol. Dario
Serrentino, after years of selling off his grapes (to naturalistas Frank Cornelissen, Lamoresca, inter alia), started to vinify and bottle his own wines in
2014 as Mortellito. Dario is a naturalista as well, but he insists on making clean wines that taste extreme only in their deliciousness. He works his
family’s 25ha, 15 of which are under vine; the rest are a mix of ancient olive groves and heirloom almond varieties. His wines have a tempered
hedonism, a mix of 'taking' in the sun (as the Italian idiom goes), and then 'taking a bath' in the salty-cool sea.
Galicia
Benaza
The wine region Monterrei is located just above Portugal in the province of Ourense. Monterrei is a relatively new DO but possesses a long history of
winegrowing, and at the moment is experiencing a renaissance in winemaking. The climate is relatively dry and warm for Galicia and more continental
than Atlantic. The soils are a mix of clay and alluvial. Benaza Godello is a balanced, drinkable, and food-friendly vino blanco. It expresses the unique
personality and inherent qualities of the Godello grape and Monterrei terruño. Benaza Godello is a cuvée made especially for Vinos de Terruños in
collaboration with Álvaro Bueno, a vintner with deep roots and intimate knowledge of the Monterrei region. Fermented in stainless steel vat and
raised on the lees for up to a year.
Guímaro
Cultivated since Roman times, Ribeira Sacra’s steep, terraced vineyards are some of the most picturesque and treacherous in the world of wine —
think Douro, Côte-Rôtie, or the Mosel. Like those most dramatic terruños, wine-growing here is not for the faint of heart; it takes spirited determination,
unwieldy optimism, a sense of tradition, and a willingness to collaborate. All of these qualities are embodied by the young Pedro Rodríguez of
Guímaro. Pedro descends from a long line of colleteiros working in the Amandi area, Ribeira Sacra’s most prime sub-zone with south facing vineyards
planted on slate just above the river Sil. His parents, Manolo and Carmen, still work the vineyards daily and also maintain a small finca of mixed
agriculture. In 1991, Pedro decided to take over the family winery and named it Guímaro, which means "rebel" in Gallego and was a nickname of
Pedro’s grandfather, and became one of the first adegas to join the Ribeira Sacra DO in 1996. Pedro immediately set about making significant
improvements in the vineyards, such as reducing yields of the commonly over-cropped Mencía grape, eliminating chemicals, and paying attention to
the different plots’ expositions, which greatly helps to preserve natural acidity in the grapes. Old-fashioned winemaking methods were reclaimed as
well: wild yeast fermentation, foot treading in open-top vessels, stem inclusion, working with low sulfur, and aging in used barrels. Never resting on his
laurels, Pedro is leading his estate to organic certification and has undertaken a massive project of planting heirloom grape varieties at the highest
elevations in Amandi. With this ever-evolving approach, there is no doubt the future is looking bright at Guímaro. 152.76
La Milla
Rías Baixas represents the lowlands of Galicia, with an elevation generally less than 300m near the sea and the lower reaches of the rivers, giving
the region a distinct Atlantic influence with mild temperatures and high rainfall. Here, Albariño finds its natural habitat. La Milla is a cuvée made in
collaboration with third generation winegrower and winemaker Angel Parada. It is sourced from an organically and biodynamically farmed plot of old
vines (up to 80 years old) in the sandy soils of the Soutomaior subzone of Rías Baixas. After hand harvesting, spontaneous fermentation and aging
occur entirely in stainless steel tanks.
Luis Rodriguez
Luis Rodriguez has been quietly crafting remarkable Ribeiro wines since 1988. From the beginning, Luis' aim has been to showcase the enormous
potential for the once nearly extinct native grapes to produce distinctive and age-worthy wines. Luis studied enology and philosophy in Madrid, took
the time to visit many of Europe’s great wine regions, and even served as the president of the Ribeiro DO for many years. Over time, Luis has
accumulated just over 5ha of vineyards scattered over nearly 100 micro-plots primarily located in the town of Arnoia, a village with some of the
steepest south-facing vineyards in Ribeiro. Here, the soils are decomposed granite with sandy topsoil. Luis' vines range from 10-50 years old, with
many of them being planted by Luis himself. Having grown up in the village of Arnoia and by focusing his work there, Luis knows where the good
vineyards are located. He has been steadily converting these plots from the bulk wine grapes Palomino and Garnacha Tintorera to the native
Treixadura, Brancellao, Lado, and Ferrol just to name a few. His philosophy in the vineyard is to maintain balance, with no herbicides ever used, and
treatments applied only if absolutely necessary, and never for a month before the harvest to help preserve the native yeasts existent on the grapes
that help start fermentation. Luis works in the same tiny adega originally built by his grandfather, utilizing a mixture of temperature-controlled
equipment and a variety of sizes of oak barrels, with a small amount of new barrels reserved for the top "Escolma" wines that are only made in
certain vintages. It is time for the world to notice that fine Ribeiro wine prevails!
Pago Cativo
The Ribeiro DO is located in southern Galicia in the confluence of the valleys formed by the Miño, Avia, and Arnoia rivers. These valleys protect the
region from Atlantic squalls, providing an Oceanic-Mediterranean transitional climate that allows fruit to ripen while preserving acidity and freshness of
aromas. Ribeiro is also home to a slew of traditional, indigenous varieties such as Brancellao, Caiño Tinto and Blanco, Souson, Treixadura, and more,
which yield incomparable wines with strong personalities. Pago Cativo is made especially for Vinos de Terruños in collaboration with winemaker Álvaro
Bueno. Fruit is sourced from biodynamically farmed vineyards up to 70 years old on the classic granite and slate soils of the region. Only indigenous
varieties are used, and the wines are fermented with native yeast in stainless steel.
La Rioja
Bodega Akutain
The story of Bodega Akutain begins over four decades ago when Rioja’s storied estates were consistently producing Spain’s most highly sought-after
wines. At this time, Juan Peñagaricano Akutain was an engineer in nearby Basque Country, working for a company that sold cooling units to wineries.
Juan developed personal relationships with many Rioja bodegas and spent time tasting and learning in the region, most notably in the cellars of two
of the great traditionalists of yesteryear – CVNE and La Rioja Alta. These experiences gave him the confidence to plant his first vineyard in 1975,
located 5km west of Haro at Rioja’s epicenter. With a desire to work in the château style, Juan acquired a horse stable adjacent to the vineyard and
converted it into a small bodega, and Akutain has been making wine here in this small but highly functional bodega ever since. They strive to produce
wines in the traditional style set forth by the Grand Bodegas, but on a much smaller scale, and most importantly, to singularly reflect the wind-swept,
high-elevation terruño of Rioja Alta. Today the property is comprised of 6.5ha of four distinct vineyard plots, all estate-owned and located in the Rioja
Alta subzone, ranging from 25-40 years of age. Juan’s son, the young and ambitious Jon Peñagaricano, is now handling the day-to-day operations.
Today, Jon is leading the estate into the 21st century, converting their highest elevation vineyard to organic viticulture, with the rest of the estate
following suit. Harvesting is by hand, all fermentations are with natural yeasts in fiberglass vats (with no temperature control), and all aging is in used
American oak. They bottle age for a significant amount of time in natural caves that the Akutains built under the first vineyard they planted back in
1975. The resultant wines are throwbacks to Rioja’s past – 12.5 to 13% alcohol, beautifully aromatic, nuanced, and age-worthy; traditional Grower
Rioja at its best!
Navarra
Verasol
The region of Navarra sits just northeast of the bordering Rioja. It is a region that enjoys three distinct climate influences – Atlantic, Continental, and
Mediteranean – as well as a myriad of soil types and elevations. This makes Navarra one of the most interesting regions for winegrowing in all of
Spain. The fruit for this cuvée is sourced from organically farmed vines around the town of Olite, a winemaking town in the Ribera Alta subzone of
Navarra. Due to its limestone sub-soils, high elevation, and accompanying fluctuations between daytime and nighttime temperatures, this is an area
known to produce excellent Tempranillo and Garnacha based wines. Verasol is a cuvée made especially for Vinos de Terruños in collaboration with
Charo Moriones, a vintner with deep roots and intimate knowledge of the Navarra region. Fermented and raised in old cement vats. Bottled unfiltered.
Castilla y León
Alfredo Maestro
The affable iconoclast Alfredo Maestro started making wine in 1998 when he planted his first vineyard, Almate, near his hometown of Peñafiel in
Ribera del Duero. From the beginning, he set out to farm his vineyard organically. In the cellar though, Alfredo was literally working “by the book,”
teaching himself enology from a book and using every winemaking trick to make a “correct” Ribera del Duero: yeasts, acid, enzymes, tannins, color-
enhancers, etc. Finally, in the early 2000’s, Alfredo had a revelation. He started questioning why, as an organic farmer, was he using chemicals to
make the finished wine when he could be working as naturally in the cellar as he did in the vineyards. So, he began eliminating exogenous products,
and in 2003, began making wine without any additives whatsoever, including sulfur. Over the past few years, Alfredo has been searching out
abandoned or neglected vineyards around the Ribera del Duero and nearby Madrid to convert to organic farming. He looks for old vines, poor
limestone or granitic soils, and the requisite high elevation that gives freshness to wines grown in Spain’s great Meseta Central. Today, Alfredo has
accumulated 9ha total and two small bodegas, one located in his native Peñafiel in the Ribera del Duero, where his father still helps with the bodega
work, and the other just southwest of Madrid. He has emerged as one of the most lauded and dynamic natural winemakers in all of Spain. The wines
are rich, pure, bright, and show everything there is to like about the Duero, minus the fake oak-addled spoof tactics that have dominated the wine
styles in the region for years.
Isaac Cantalapiedra
The Cantalapiedras descend from several generations of winegrowers working in the municipality of La Seca, a dusty town of 1,000 people that is
considered to be the heart of the Rueda appellation. While most producers in the region have embraced the ultra-modern styles of Verdejo (high
yields, machine harvesting, selected yeasts, cold fermentation, heavy filtration, and copious amounts of sulfur) to make an internationally appealing
wine, the Cantalapiedras have taken a decidedly different approach. Although there are records of the Cantalapiedras’ grape-growing dating to the
19th century, the birth of the current estate can be traced to 1949 when patriarch Heliodoro planted his first vineyard plot at the age of 15. For many
years, Heliodoro’s son Isaac worked alongside him, and together they built a 20ha domaine that is now certified organic. In the past, they sold the
bulk of their grape production to larger producers in the area. It is with the third generation – Helio has since passed away and Isaac’s son Manuel
has joined – that the family has established a small cellar of their own, bottling their first vintage in 2014. Being farmers first, they strive to go beyond
organic and incorporate many biodynamic practices into their viticulture. Their grapes are oftentimes harvested later than other producers in the
region, and they keep about 7ha of their vines to vinify themselves, selling the rest to the old relationships of the family. In the cellar, Manuel utilizes
wild yeasts for fermentation, minimal amounts of sulfur, and no other additions. They produce a wide range of wines, from more soil-driven, single-plot
wines, to flor-aged wines (historically traditional for the region), as well as skin-contact wines and pét-nats with no added SO2. These are winegrowers
who promise to be dynamic and forward thinking. Given the excellent quality of the wines right out of the gate, we are beyond excited to see what the
future holds for Manuel and Isaac Cantalapiedra.
La Capra Loca
This wine is made in Pesquera de Duero, in the Valladolid province of Ribera del Duero. This vineyard’s location is characterized by very cold winters
and hot summers. The wide variations in temperature between day and night contribute to a slower ripening of the grapes and provide excellent
levels of acidity. La Capra Loca is a cuvée made especially for Vinos de Terruños in collaboration with the viticulturist Federico Fernandez of the
Fernandez family, who has a great wine tradition in Ribera del Duero and are pioneers in developing the Tempranillo grape in Pesquera de Duero.
Fermented in stainless steel and aged 6 months in American and Hungarian oak.
M. Sokolin
After working as a sommelier in San Francisco at Michael Mina and Acquarello, Mitchell Sokolin decided to spend the last several years traveling the
globe learning to make in both hemispheres, at places like Mac Forbes in Australia. Finally, for his first solo project, he has settled down in the
southern part of Castilla y León in Sierra de Salamanca. The grapes for this wine come from a vineyard planted in 2004 as part of research
collaboration with the regional government. Called "La Espaldera" ('trellis' in English), it represents the most comprehensive collection of the known
clones of Rufete. While the trellised, cordon-pruned vines are a departure from the more traditional bush vines of the region, it is tightly planted on a
steep WNW-facing slope of decomposed granite and quartz, supported by hand-built stone terraces. It has been farmed organically (and certified as
such) since it was planted, and the winemaking follows a very minimalist approach, with SO2 as the only addition.
Vevi
The wine region Rueda is located in the heart of Spain, in the southwestern part of Castilla y León. It is high in elevation and possesses a continental
climate with wide shifts between very warm days and cold nights. Rueda has a long tradition of winegrowing and is the ancestral home of the noble
Verdejo grape. Verdejo makes one of the most distinctive white wines in all of Spain. Vevi Rueda is a cuvée made especially for Vinos de Terruños in
collaboration with Silvia García, an organic farmer and vintner with deep roots and intimate knowledge of the Rueda region. Vevi expresses the
unique personality of the native Verdejo grape, along with the inherent qualities of the Rueda terruño. It is a balanced, drinkable, and food-friendly
vino blanco. Fermented in stainless steel vat and raised on the lees 6-8 months before bottling.
Madrid
4 Monos
4 Monos (4 Monkeys) is a team of four friends and lovers of wine native to Madrid. Javier García, Laura Robles, David Velasco, and David Moreno
focus their work on the Sierra de Gredos mountain range just 80km west of downtown Madrid. Here, old bush vines at 600-1200m in elevation planted
on sand, granite, and schist intermingle with sweet-scented olive, evergreen, almond, and chestnut trees, scrub brush, chamomile, and wildflowers.
This is a landscape that feels like a holy collision between the Mediterranean and the Alpine. It is this terroir that 4 Monos champions with organic
farming and articulates so beautifully with their utterly crystalline and transparent wines. Over just a few years, they have accumulated 4ha of vineyard
land and acquired a small bodega with built-in concrete tanks, and are also working 10ha with other local growers who share their passion for organic
farming practices. By putting a focus on the land and the variances in terroir from village to village, they have brought the potential of the Gredos to
the world’s attention and revived production from grapes such as Morenillo and Cariñena. Minimalism reigns supreme in their cellar – wild yeasts and
whole grape clusters for fermentation, foot-trodding the grapes for minimal extraction, little sulfur, and minimal oak treatment. The resulting wines are
weightless and flavorful, with lip-smacking granitic minerality and incomparable finesse.
Catalonia
German Gilabert
Cava is Spain’s most famous sparkling wine. In order to be called Cava, the wine has to be made using 'método tradicional', where the secondary
fermentation happens in the bottle. 95% of Cava is produced in the Penedès area of Catalonia, located just southwest of Barcelona. It is no wonder
that Cava is the drink of choice in the many tapas bars of the great city. The grapes used for German Gilabert come from the subzone Alt Penedès,
where the highest elevation plots are located. Only native grapes are used, the vines are farmed organically, and the wine is bottled without added
sugar or Brut Nature. German Gilabert is a cuvée made especially for Vinos de Terruños in collaboration with a vintner who has deep roots and
intimate knowledge of Cava production. Primary fermentation in stainless steel vats. Secondary fermentation in the bottle, and it is raised on the lees
18-20 months before disgorgement. Bottled with no dosage.
Suriol
It’s a family affair at Suriol, an estate that manages to embody tradition while producing some of the most delicious Cavas and still wines as naturally
as possible. “Naturally” in this case means working only with their 'collita propia' (own vineyards) and certified organic grapes, no added commercial
yeasts or enzymes, very little sulfur additions, and no dosage at bottling of their Cavas. In short, Suriol is the real deal. The Suriol family has lived and
made wine in the same masia, the Castell de Grabuac, in Font-Rubí, Penedès, since the 15th century. Their 25ha of vineyards are divided up into 20
different micro-plots and surround the masia. Located in the Alt Penedès, the higher elevation winegrowing area of the region, the Suriol vineyards are
planted at 250-350m on heavy limestone soils. Originally, the family made wine just for themselves and to sell to local tavernas. It was not until 1985
that, under the leadership of the patriarch Francesc, the family started working seriously to produce Cava and bottling their own sparkling wines. Their
vineyards have been always worked organically, with certification arriving in 1998. In the cellar, the lively and passionate son, Assís Suriol, is in charge
of the winemaking. All the wines are fermented by parcel with wild yeasts in stainless steel vats. The wine is then racked to underground concrete
tanks where the malolactic fermentation occurs naturally over the winter. The Cavas rest on the fine lees until sale. In some cases, such as for the
Gran Reserva wines, the wine can spend ten years or more on the lees. All of Suriol’s work in the vineyard and in the cellar equate to remarkable
expressions of their place and their family’s long history of winegrowing. These are true Vins Catalans with heart and soul.
Castilla-La Mancha
Deya
Sourced from an organic grower in Castilla with a large collection of relatively old, bush-trained vines, Deya comes from several vineyards, between
40 and 50 years old. After a 10 day maceration, the wine is fermented and aged entirely in stainless steel. A fresh take on 100% Tempranillo from
Castilla-La Mancha for a great price.
Envínate
Envínate (meaning 'wine yourself') is the brainchild of four friends, winemakers Roberto Santana, Alfonso Torrente, Laura Ramos, and José Martínez.
This gang of four formed back in 2005 while studying enology at the University of Miguel Hernández in Alicante. Upon graduation, they formed a
winemaking consultancy, which eventually evolved into Envínate, a project that mainly focuses on exploring distinctive parcels in the Atlantic-inflected
regions of Ribeira Sacra and the Canary Islands, as well as other exceptional vineyard plots across the Iberian Peninsula. Their collective aim is to
make profoundly pure and authentic wines that express the terruño of each parcel in a clear and concise manner. To this end, no chemicals are used
in any of the Envínate vineyards, all parcels are picked by hand, the grapes are foot-trodden, and the wines are fermented exclusively with wild yeasts
with a varying proportion of whole grape clusters included. For aging, the wines are raised in old barrels and sulfur is only added at bottling if needed.
The results are some of the most exciting and honest wines being produced in Spain today.
Valencia
Curii Uvas y Vinos
Curii is the project of couple Alberto Redrado and Violetta Gutiérrez de la Vega, the daughter of the old-fashioned Alicantino estate Gutiérrez de la
Vega. Their aim is to restore old parcels in their native region and make wines with minimal intervention – true Mediterranean wines with lifted
aromatics and pure drinkability. They farm just over 1ha, with parcels ranging from 30-100 years old, and currently bottle one wine from the local
clone of Garnacha called Giró. It is native yeast fermented with whole grape clusters and raised in a mixture of neutral French oak barrels and one
old American oak foudre.
Vera de Estenas
Historically, the high-yielding Bobal grape was regarded as only useful for simple, acidic red and rosé wines destined for the local co-op. Recently, a
handful of quality-minded growers, using artisanal farming and vinification, are producing highly individual wines of true Mediterranean complexity,
with remarkable freshness, moderate alcohol, and calcareous soil-inflected tension. One of the torchbearers of Bobal is Vera de Estenas, possibly the
most traditional producer in the Utiel-Requena DO of Valencia, with some of the oldest Bobal holdings in Spain. Founded in 1945 by Francisco
Martinez Bermell, Vera de Estenas has been crafting wines from their 47ha of organic estate vineyards since their inception. Situated at 800m
elevation near the mouth of the Estenas river near the foot of the Sierra del Remedio mountains, their 'en vaso' trained vineyards run northwest to
southeast along a broad swath of calcareous clay soils. Summer brings scorching heat, but a cooling wind called the 'Solano' brings relief, and
nighttime temperatures can drop substantially due to the high elevation, helping to preserve acidity in the grapes. Under the current leadership of
Felix Martinez, Vera de Estenas is producing some of the region's most compelling wines, from Bobal vines as old as 100 years.
Andalucía
Bodegas Alonso
After years working as a construction engineer, Seville native Fran Asencio and his brother, Fernando, have embarked on one of the most ambitious
projects in the region, attempting to resurrect the historic Pedro Romero bodega after its unfortunate economic collapse in 2014. Located in the
“barrio bajo” in downtown Sanlúcar de Barrameda, the Pedro Romero cellars cover an area of almost 1ha and are full of nearly 10,000 butts of
Sherry dating back to the winery’s founding in 1860, including soleras for legendary brands such as Gaspar Florido, Ánsar Real, and Fernando
Méndez. Located close to the Guadalquivir river in the almost at sea level, the bodega has almost perfect exposure to the west wind, making the
conditions ideal for producing and aging Manzanilla. Aside from these incredible old stocks, the Asencios have also purchased 13ha of their own
vineyards in the Pagos Balbaina and Miraflores, which they will use to refresh 40 old butts from Pedro Romero to make their own Manzanilla with
true vineyard-to-bottle traceability. Meanwhile, they have already bought Manzanilla from other almacenistas to establish a separate solera, which
they are using to help fund their work with the old stocks. The Asencio brothers are acutely aware of the enormous scale of the work needed and
that they are now responsible for a piece of Sanlúcar history, but they are dedicated to the task of keeping these wine jewels alive.
Canary Islands
Carmelo Peña Santana
A native to the Canary Islands, Carmelo Peña Santana worked in Chile, the Douro, and Bierzo before settling back in his native Gran Canaria to start
his personal project. The second most populous of the volcanic Canary Islands after Tenerife, Gran Canaria is home to Las Palmas, one of the two
capitals of the islands, and is peaked by Pico de las Nieves at 1949m elevation. It is considered a desert climate due to its consistent warm
temperatures and minimal precipitation (around 9 inches per year) and has extreme variations in climate and landscape. Carmelo focuses on the
upper area of San Mateo just northeast of the peak, where there are old vineyards at 1200m elevation and higher. His goals are to contribute to the
recovery of abandoned vineyards here, to respect the terrain and work in an ecological and biodynamic way, and interpret the land, focusing on
making the best possible wine that can come from each plot. To this end, everything is worked in a very artisanal way in the cellar: native yeasts,
destemming by hand, judicious use of SO2, and long macerations with little extraction are preferred. The wines are not clarified or filtered, and all
work is done manually, from harvesting to bottling to labeling.
Portugal
Duriense
Mary Taylor
When founding partner Mary Taylor first fell in love with wine in the early 90s, it was the European classics that truly spoke to her and stole her heart.
As a young professional selling wine, she quickly learned to appreciate wine in the “Old World” way — not as a luxury good reserved for special
occasions, but a living agricultural product that belongs to everyday life. After many years working with the wines of Europe, Mary arrived at an
important insight. Left in the dark by decades of simplistic marketing efforts that placed grape above geography, American consumers needed a
brand they could trust to decipher the complex notion of terroir in a clear and straightforward way. Out of this realization, the “White Label” series
was born. Today, it is Mary’s mission to unlock the world of European appellation wines by working with individual growers in multiple villages — from
Bordeaux to Nîmes to Valençay to the Douro and beyond — who produce exceptional, regionally-distinctive wines at extremely accessible prices. In
the traditional spirit of the Old World, each Mary Taylor wine has been selected as a faithful ambassador of its geographic origin, true to local traditions
and the vision of the individual farmer who bottled it. All fruit is farmed sustainably or organically, only indigenous varieties are used, fermentations are
with native yeast, and only inert vessels are used for aging to yield a set of wines of genuine quality and integrity that will bring the magic of their
terroirs to life wherever you choose to enjoy them.
Domaine Tatsis
"Our family is as steeped in winemaking history as anyone could imagine," says Periklis Tatsis, one half of the sibling team that owns and operates
Domaine Tatsis with his younger brother Stergios. During the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire and the forced population exchanges in 1924, the
Tatsis’ grandparents came from Ano Vodeno in Eastern Romylia, an area of Thrace that equates roughly to today’s southern Bulgaria. Periklis
explains that his people were always grape growers and winemakers and it had been the trade of the family since time immemorial. When the Tatsis
family was moved to Greece, they chose to settle in Goumenissa, an area (and appellation) that was covered in vines and spoke to their values and
history. The fit was natural, and the Tatsis family property started with a scant 4ha that has now grown into 14ha today with additions that they’ve
made since taking over the domaine from their father in 1996. Periklis works the land and oversees the vines with Stergios in charge of making the
wine, although the lines often blur as with any family endeavor. The wines are certified organic and many biodynamic principals are applied, but the
best way to describe them is as one of the small group (three or four at most) of original natural winemakers in Greece to pop up in the 1990s, at a
time when international varieties, commercial yeasts, and 100% new oak was the norm in the rest of the country. Domaine Tatsis wines can easily be
seen as traditionalist in nature but that would be only a part of the story. They constantly experiment, doing long macerations of their native white
varieties and long élevage for roses. They release their appellation Goumenissa with significant bottle aging for a true representation of the wine as it
should be enjoyed. They are both a throwback as well as on the forefront of the wine scene in Greece with nary a care of what anyone else is doing.
Thessalia
Domaine Zafeirakis
Domaine Zafeirakis represents one of the most exciting new domaines of Greece. Nestled in the foothills of Mount Olympus in the region of Thessaly,
Christos Zafeirakis has built a winery both in honor and continuation of the four generations of winemakers in his family that preceded him. Having an
impressive resume including completing his enology degree at the University of Milan and consecutive years of work in Tuscany, Piedmont, and Alto
Adige, Christos returned to his home of Tyrnavos and immediately started to set new standards by creating the first organic vineyard in the area in
2005. As if that weren't enough, he extended the family's holdings to 8ha and worked tirelessly to reintroduce the obscure, native variety Limniona,
which was nearly extinct due to the phylloxera epidemic 80 years prior. Zafeirakis' obsession is first and foremost with the soil. The area of Tyrnavos
has high clay deposits which dominate the overall terrior, with sand, flint, and limestone scattered throughout due to the fact that this area once had
an ancient river run through it. Christos' wines are now all certified organic. Spontaneous yeast fermentation is a must, whether the vinification occurs
in stainless steel or in the 1,200L Austrian oak fermentors he uses for his reds. Additionally, an intensive massale selection is taking place in the
vineyards, and Christos continues to refine the clonal selection through this process to raise the bar of his wines year after year.
Koutsoyannopoulos
Koutsoyannopoulos Winery, founded in the late 19th century by brothers Gregoris and Dimitris Koutsoyannopoulos on the island of Santorini, is one
of the oldest continuously producing winemaking families in Greece. From 1870 to 1917 the bulk of Koutsoyannopoulos’ exports went to Odessa in
Ukraine. And while the Russian revolution in 1917 closed this chapter of exportation, the market opened up in France, Italy, and the rest of Western
Europe. Today, four generations later, this winery continues to operate under the care and supervision of its present owner, Georgios
Koutsoyannopoulos. The estate vineyards are comprised of 15ha of vines, which continue to be cultivated in the traditional way of weaving them into
baskets or crowns. These vineyards lie in the areas of Vothonas, Megalochori, and Fira. Long-term contracts with farming families on the island also
bolster the amount of fruit available in this bare and sparse land. What makes the vineyards in Santorini unique is the volcanic soil on which they
grow. The soil consists of white volcanic ash mixed with schist and limestone, with hardly any organic matter. The ash soil traps the moisture in the
air during the nighttime and early morning hours, acting as a kind of reservoir, initially storing water and then providing necessary moisture to the vine.
The combination of the especially hot and dry climate with the volcanic soil works to keep disease in check; phylloxera cannot survive here, so
rootstocks are ungrafted, with some of the oldest continually producing vines on the island estimated at nearly 400 years old. Koutsoyannopoulos’
traditional renditions of Assyrtiko bring all of the pedigree of the variety, terroir, and history of Santorini together flawlessly.
Crete
Domaine Economou
Domaine Economou is one of Greece's most artisanal and sought-after wineries. Yiannis Economou, the heart and soul of the estate, is a 'vin de
terroir' natural winemaker of extraordinary ability. With an enology degree from Alba, years of cellar work in Germany, Bordeaux (at Château
Margaux), and Piedmont under the guidance of Nebbiolo maestros such as Ceretto and Scavino, he returned to Crete in 1994. Upon resurrecting
the family vineyards, Yiannis brought his considerable winemaking experience to bear on the rare, native varieties of eastern Crete. Yiannis treats
his wines with a kind of obsessive care rarely seen in modern winemaking: selling off lesser vintages when not satisfied with a year, suffering through
incredibly low yields rather than chemically treating the vines, and bottling and releasing his wines when he feels they are ready instead of being
dictated by market principles. The domaine’s 16ha of organic vineyards are located in the villages of Ziros, Katsidoni, and Etia at 600-650m altitude
in what is otherwise known as the Ziros plateau. It is a sparse, ethereal place, a terroir of such a singularly exposed nature (we wore sweaters at
night in July) as to lend itself to absolutely lunar comparisons. In its main part, the vineyard is cultivated with 35-70-year-old, ungrafted vines. Domaine
Economou’s red Sitias are made predominately from the local clone of Liatiko, found nowhere else in Crete (let alone Greece or the rest of the
Mediterranean). It is a small-berried clone that diverges greatly from other Liatikos in the central and western parts of the island. Other local varieties
such as Mandilari, Vilana, and Thrapsathiri make up the rest of the production. These are natural wines with nothing added in the winery besides a
small dose of sulfur before bottling. Domaine Economou releases wines only when Yiannis deems them ready; consequently, many vintages are held
back for 10-15 years after harvest. Needless to say, these are some of the most idiosyncratic and distinctive wines in the world.
Brea
Brea is a collaboration between "New California Wine" OG, Chris Brockway of Broc Cellars, and wine importer and logistics veteran, Tim Elenteny.
Their goal is to craft site-specific, terroir-driven, sustainably-farmed versions of beloved California grape varieties, such as Chardonnay, Cabernet
Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir. By working closely with farmers and choosing unique vineyard sites, the two are able to craft classic expressions of these
grapes while also keeping them accessible in both price and quality, ready to drink now but also suitable for short term aging. The work is natural in
the cellar, utilizing only native yeasts for fermentation, with no added bacteria, enzymes, or powdered tannins, no new oak, and minimal use of sulfur.
These are real deal, unadulterated expressions of Cali fruit that we believe are a big step above most “private labels”.
Broc Cellars
After growing up in Nebraska and working in Seattle, Chris Brockway arrived in California to study winemaking. Following a textbook education at UC
Davis and Fresno State, Chris’ experience of drinking and enjoying more low-intervention, natural wines persuaded him to take a somewhat different
path than most of his classmates. In 2002, he began working at an urban winery in Oakland before leaving in 2006 to set up his own label from a
small industrial unit in Berkeley. Today, he runs his operation from a slightly bigger premises around the corner, but the focus remains the same:
producing site-specific wines from off-the-beaten-path vineyards or with unique, heritage grapes varieties, working only with fruit that is organically or
biodynamically grown, and taking a decidedly hands-off approach in the cellar, with only natural ferments and no additions other than sulfur when
needed. Chris' work continues to push the boundaries of "The New California", and his wines are some of the most compelling, terroir-expressive
examples being produced in the state today.
Keep Wines
Winemakers Jack Roberts (assistant winemaker at Matthiasson) and his wife, Johanna Jensen (formerly of Scholium Project and Broc Cellars), have
come together to create Keep Wines. They are influenced by the old world, with a focus on less-ripe fruit, organic farming (all vineyards are either
working or certified), minimal manipulation in the cellar, and great ageability. In the vigneron tradition, they do as much of the work themselves as
possible from vineyard to bottling. Jack, who originally hails from England, references his heritage in the name and label of the wine; the image is of
Beverstone Castle, an 11th century Norman stronghold in Gloucestershire, England where Jack’s father was born and raised. All that remains of
Beverstone today is what you see on the label; the moat and the tall ‘keep’ (from the Middle English 'kype', meaning barrel or cask), which was the
defenders' last resort in a siege. It was also where they stored their most precious possessions, especially their wine.
Oregon
Analemma
The analemma is a figure 8 shape made by the Sun’s annual migratory path between the northern and southern hemispheres as seen from the Earth.
This pattern is caused by the tilt of the Earth’s axis and is a visual cue of the Sun’s movement through the calendar year. To winemakers Steven
Thompson and Kris Fade, the analemma is a symbol that reflects their focus on place. After all, every place on Earth has its own unique analemma – a
kind of place-based fingerprint. After years working as a cycling guide, Steven Thompson decided to switch to wine full-time in 2000 after graduating
from the Enology and Viticulture program at Walla Walla Community College. It was in Walla Walla that Steven met Kris Fade, his wife and business
partner, and the two embarked on a one-year overseas adventure, making wine as far away as New Zealand. They would eventually return home to
Oregon to start Analemma in 2010 when they received an opportunity to lease one of the oldest vineyards in the Pacific Northwest, Atavus Vineyard,
high up in the Columbia Gorge. The years to follow led them to the Mosier Hills, and in 2012, they began planting their own estate vineyard right outside
of their winery where they are experimenting with everything from Godello to Mencía to Trousseau (in addition to their cherry orchards). All of the
vineyards are farmed organically and they have begun incorporating biodynamic treatments of nettle, seaweed, and ground silica to boost the plants’
immune system. In the cellar, they work methodically to minimize their fingerprints on the wines, working only with native yeasts and keeping heavy oak
and filtering to a minimum. Through deliberate handling, they strive to capture the essence of each of the unique vineyards they work with, creating a
window into the site’s soil, microclimate, and culture.
Holden
Sterling Whitted and Michael Garofola continue to push the boundaries of Oregon wine working out of the Medici cellar in the hills north of Newberg.
They work primarily with Northern Italian varieties like Vermentino, Dolcetto, Nebbiolo, and a Friuli-style Sauvignon Blanc while also producing
detailed, elegant renditions of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Sterling previously worked at Owen Roe, Cameron, and Teutonic Wine Company while
studying advanced enology at Oregon State University. He started the Holden in 2011 and for several years made micro bottlings in a range of styles.
Michael, one of Portland’s most esteemed sommeliers, joined the business a few years later. The current line up maintains an adventurous spirit but
with a new level of sophistication. All fermentations are with native yeast, and SO2 use is kept to a minimum leading to some of the freshest, most
compelling wines coming out of the state today.
Omero Cellars
Established in 2009, Omero is a small (10ha) family owned vineyard and winery located in the heart of the Ribbon Ridge AVA in the northern
Willamette Valley. The estate is farmed organically, with a focus on maintaining the natural biodiversity of the land through minimal intervention, dry
farming, native cover crops, and the integration of livestock, most notably the 21 sheep that roam the property. In 2014, Omero brought on Chad
Stock of Minimus to take over all winemaking duties and increase their focus on making distinctive, authentic, natural wines. Chad has incorporated
some biodynamic principles, native yeast fermentations, and more transparent, minimalist winemaking to create a range of acid driven, food friendly
wines that truly reflect the terroir of this unique place.
Pray Tell
When Tom Caruso was a kid, he helped his grandfather make wine on a city sidewalk in Philadelphia – ironically on the corner of Oregon Avenue.
They would source grapes from a local farm and use a small hand crank destemmer and basket press (which he still has today). In adulthood, try as
he might to find another career path, the inevitable reality sank in and he decided to drop everything and focus on wine. Tom enrolled in a wine school
where he met Jess. At the time, Jess already had a growing list of wine experience in San Francisco and the Napa Valley and was working with the
beverage program of a restaurant in NYC. After passing their exams, they realized suits and ties weren't their style and that their focus had shifted to
how wine is actually made. From New York to Sonoma to the Willamette Valley, they've spent years learning and working alongside some amazing
winemakers and mentors until finally deciding to add their own voices to the growing landscape of wine with Pray Tell in a little corner of Oregon’s
Willamette Valley. Their values are founded on sustainable, mindful farming, reactive winemaking, and an unflinching pursuit to continue learning and
enjoying each bottle they make.
Mexico
Baja California
Bichi
Mexico has a centuries-long history of winemaking that has mostly gone under the radar. Spanish conquistadores planted vines in the early 1500’s
(before both Chile and Argentina) and Baja California represents about 90% of the vines in the entire country due to the ideal climate and geography.
The soils are mainly sandy loam over granite, and some of the most distinctive vineyards are planted as high as 2500ft in elevation. The nearby
Pacific Ocean brings a lovely spine of salinity into the wines and helps moderate temperatures. Brothers Noel and Jair Téllez, with the help of Chilean
(by way of Burgundy) winemaker Louis-Antoine Luyt, are producing amazingly fresh and energetic wines from very old, recently recovered vineyards
of Misión (aka Listán Prieto), Rosa del Peru (aka Moscatel Negro), Tempranillo, and Cariñena, among other unknown varieties. Bichi means "naked"
in some parts of northern Mexico, and for Téllez and Luyt, it thus seemed like an appropriate name to give their new natural wine project. Bichi farms
10ha of their own vineyards biodynamically and collaborates with a growing family of organic farmers working vineyard land in Tecate and around
Valle de Guadalupe. In the winery, grapes are destemmed by hand and gently trodden by foot, and fermentations are carried out by wild yeast in
locally-made concrete amphorae. Inside the bottles are incredibly vibrant and transparent wines that evoke the nearby Pacific Ocean, the granite
soils, and rugged mountain vineyards of their region. Through the persistent work of the family and their farmers and collaborators, lively Baja wine is
officially on the map.
Argentina
Mendoza
Campo
We are proud to introduce Campo. Old-vine, organically-farmed fruit, made with low intervention: wild yeast fermentation, no acid adjustments, no new
oak... Pure, straight-forward Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon from Argentina that don’t taste like blueberry pie!
Cider
France – Loire Valley
Julien Thurel
In Loury, about 30 minutes northeast of Orléans on the edge of the forest, the young Julien Thurel is undertaking one of the most ambitious and
exciting projects in France, attempting to resurrect the long history of cider production in the Loire Valley. Starting with just 1ha of certified organic
orchards, Julien is working with five local apple varieties as well as four local pears, plus a handful of varieties from Brittany (where he originally
learned cidermaking). He is also planting more trees just outside of the newly constructed chai, but many of these old varieties indigenous to the
Loire can take 8-12 years before they yield usable fruit. Alas, Julien is in this for the long haul. All fruit is harvested by hand and undergoes a long, 6
to 8-month fermentation with native yeast in old oak barrels. Secondary fermentation is in bottle (méthode traditionnelle), and Julien releases
everything undisgorged, as he finds this allows bottles to remain fresh open for a longer time. These are some of the most vinous, complex, and
structured cidre and poiré being produced in France today. Julien is also incorporating some local, organic honey for his triple fermentation cuvée,
"Mellicidre", as well as the still dessert/aperitif "Cydromel" (which also happens to be amazing for cocktails). With only a few vintages under his belt,
we can't wait to see what the future holds for this already impressive project.
Spain – Asturias
Ramos del Valle
Ramos del Valle from Sidra Fran is an all-natural hard cider made with traditional methods using apples from the Asturias region of northern Spain.
Founded in 1918, Roberto Ramos is the third generation of his family to make cider. Sidra Fran is currently owned and operated by Roberto and his
four siblings. Sidra Fran uses only native apples from the region. The apples are hand harvested in September from the family's own orchards on
mountain slopes. There are over 800 native apple varietals in Asturias and 22 varieties authorized in the region. Sidra Fran is in the process of
recovering additional ancient apple varietals. Fermentation occurs naturally and spontaneously with native yeasts. The cider then rests in large
chestnut wooden vats in contact with lees for over five months. No sugar or carbonation is added.
France – Southwest
Domaine Séailles
Domaine Séailles is one of the pioneers of organic viticulture in the Côtes de Gascogne region of Southwest France. A family-owned estate since
1961, Séailles is now run by Jean Labérenne, who lead the domaine to Ecocert organic certification in 1997, swearing off all chemical fertilizers,
herbicides, insecticides, and synthetic chemical products. Located in the town of Ténarèze, which is unique in the region for its limestone soils, Jean
farms a total of 25ha of hillside vineyards with help the of Julien Lanclet and Laurent Lefèvre, even saving 2ha of vines to make the traditional spirit
of the region, Armagnac. The distillation is carried out at the domaine using an old, direct wood flame heated still, and the resulting spirits are aged
in 400L barrels for a minimum of 20 years.
Italy – Piemonte
Monterosa
Monterosa is a new, artisanal Vermouth project in Alto Piemonte from Daniele Garella, brother of Cristiano Garella of Colombera & Garella fame.
Daniele hand-picks herbs in Alto Piemonte around Mount Rosa, including “muttolina”, a local biotype of genepy. Cold extractions of the herbs help
preserve their delicate volatile oils. The base wines for both Vermouths are grown and made locally: Erbaluce for the white, and mostly Nebbiolo for
the red. These are an exciting, new chapter in the century-and-a-half-old tradition of Piemontese Vermouths.
Scarpa
We sometimes assume that the great, historic producers in Italy are all well-known in the U.S. But ask the old timers: "I remember Scarpa…"
Antica Casa Vinicola Scarpa has been producing traditional, aristocratic wines in the Monferrato hills of southeast Piemonte for 150 years. They
have vineyards, farmed organically, in the Langhe as well as the Monferrato. Mario Pesce, admired by both Giacosa and Gaja, made Scarpa’s
reputation in the late 20th century, and today Maria Pier Zola and her family carry on his tradition of aging all the wines for years, and sometimes
decades before release. Traditional sometimes means 'rustic', but that's not the case here; Scarpa produces elegant wines with arrow-like acidity
and well-aged tannins. Bottle evolution and vintage characteristics emerge instead of pointillist fruit. Be on the lookout for releases from the
family's 45,000+ bottle library.
Italy – Sardegna
Silvio Carta
The Carta family has been making (and storing) wine in the sleepy coastal town of Oristano for generations. The local grape is Vernaccia (though not
the one from Gimignano). The vine was possibly introduced by the Phoenicians or it was cultivated from wild vines of the Tirso valley. The style is
"oxidative", but no Englishman created or discovered this wine (as happened in Marsala). And maybe that’s a shame because these wines deserve
to be better known outside their home. The wine is vinified dry, and the nose is chalky and intriguing. Multiple aged vintages are available. The
register is something new for us, falling somewhere amid the mineral tones of Fino, the nuttiness of Marsala, and a bit of passito fruit.
Spain – Valencia
Vidte
Vidte Vermouths come from the La Marina Alta sub-zone of Alicante, a region with many years of history in both wine and vermouth production. The
climate is Mediterranean giving these vermouths distinctive herbal characteristics. The soils of La Marina Alta are very limy, with low levels of clay
and very little organic material, giving very high-quality base wines. Vidte Vermouths are made in collaboration with winemaker Pedro Sarrión, an
oenologist with extensive knowledge in the production of wines from Alicante and Castilla-La Mancha. The base wines are made from the traditional
varieties Muscatel and Merseguera and are then macerated for several months with a combination of local Mediterranean aromatic herbs.
Wine Cocktails
Spain – Castilla-La Mancha
El Chiringuito
El Chiringuito is a project created by Vinos de Terruños in collaboration with the Delgado brothers, pioneers in organic farming in Castilla-La Mancha.
Named after the small beach bars selling drinks and tapas in coastal Spain, the intention is to create an authentic, organic version of the local favorite
drink, Sangria, transporting the aromas of beach evenings, summer times, and moments with friends. The Delgado brothers use only certified organic
grapes for the base wines and blend them with organic Valencian orange and lemon juice, with no sugar added.
Dessert
Name Vintage Grapes Size Pack Importer SLO Code
France
Domaine du Trapadis Rasteau Vin Doux Naturel Grenat 2015 Grenache/Carignan 500mL 6* MFW 553343
Domaine de Saint Pierre Vin de Liqueur "Les Larmes du Paradis" NV Chardonnay/Trousseau 750mL 6* MFW 570474
Mélaric Coteaux de Saumur "Funambule" 2013 Chenin Blanc 500mL 6* MFW 603343
Julien Thurel "Cydromel" 2014 Apples/Honey 750mL 6* MFW 562075
Guirardel Jurançon "Marrote" 2012 Petit Manseng 750mL 12* MFW 581526
Mélaric "Liquoreux de la Cerisaie" VdF Blanc 2011 Chenin Blanc 500mL 6* MFW 603342
Austria
Tinhof Burgenland Aperitiv NV Weißburgunder/Neuburger 500mL 8 CH 542553
Italy
Sorrelle Palazzi Bianco Pisano di San Torpè Vin Santo Riserva 2011 Trebbiano/Malvasia/++ 375mL 6 PV 602524
Spain
Alfredo Maestro "La Cosa – The Thing" VdlT Castilla y León 2014 Moscatel de Alejandría 375mL 6 JPS 574442
Gutiérrez de la Vega "Casta Diva Cosecha Miel" VdM 2013 Moscatel de Alejandría 500mL 12* JPS 590583
Gutiérrez de la Vega "Recóndita Armonía" VdM Tinto 2013 Monastrell 500mL 12* JPS 593665
Greece
Domaine Economou Sitia Late Harvest Liatiko 2006 Liatiko 500mL 6* DNS 603755
Hatzidakis Santorini Vinsanto 2004 Assyrtiko/Aidani 375mL 6* DNS 603762
United States
East Hollow Cider "A Bee and A Tree" Imperial Cyser NV Wild Apples/Honey 375mL 12* MFW 592290
Old Westminster Winery Maryland "Solera Batch No. 1" NV Cabernet Franc/Petit Verdot 500mL 12* MFW 602464
Eden Ice Cider "Heirloom Blend" NV ('13) Empire/McIntosh/++ 375mL 6* MFW 569675
Eden Ice Cider "Windfall Orchard" NV Heirloom Blend 375mL 6* MFW 569676
Eden Ice Cider "Northern Spy Barrel-Aged" NV ('13) Northern Spy 375mL 6* MFW 569677
Sparkling/Pét-Nat
France
Bernard Vallette "Née Bulleuse" VMQ Rosé NV Gamay 1.5L 6 MFW 562442
Julien Thurel Cidre "Champêtre" 2016 Apples 1.5L 1 MFW 590060
Julien Thurel Cidre "Nectar" 2016 Apple 1.5L 1 MFW 590060
White Wine
France
Domaine des Rouges-Queues Bourgogne Aligoté "L'Aligator" 2016 Aligoté 1.5L 3 MFW 597999
Domaine de Saint Pierre Arbois "Savagnin Autrement" 2016 Savagnin 1.5L 6* MFW 600431
Germany
Hofgut Falkenstein Niedermenniger Herrenberg Spätlese Feinherb (15) 2017 Riesling 1.5L 6 MFW 584439
Italy
Bella Vita Pinot Grigio IGP Veneto 2018 Pinot Grigio 1.5L 6 MFW 538943
Spain
Luis Rodriguez Ribeiro Blanco "Viña de Martin Os Pasás" 2016 Treixadura/Albariño/++ 1.5L 4 JPS 605721
Envínate "Benje" VdM Blanco 2017 Listán Blanco 1.5L 3 JPS 589408
Envínate "Táganan" VdM Blanco 2017 Albillo/Marmajuelo/Gual/++ 1.5L 3 JPS 589411
Luis Rodriguez Ribeiro Blanco "Viña de Martin Escolma" 2013 Treixadura/Albariño/++ 1.5L 4 JPS 605716
Rosé Wine
France
Domaine du Chapitre Côtes du Rhône Rosé 2017 Grenache/Clairette Rose/++ 1.5L 12 MFW 601365
Bernard Vallette "La Rose Gorge" VdF Rosé 2018 Gamay 1.5L 6 MFW 611616
Germany
Weingut Beurer Württemberg Rosé Trocken 2018 Trollinger/Portugieser/++ 1.5L 6 VB 607450
Stein Mosel Rosé Trocken 2018 Pinot Noir/Cab Sauv/Merlot 1.5L 6 VB 607442
United States
Division-Villages Columbia Valley Rosé of Gamay Noir "L'Avoiron" 2018 Gamay Noir 1.5L 6 MFW 596035
Red Wine
France
Benoît Roseau "Syrah de Rosette" IGP Collines Rhodaniennes 2014 Syrah 1.5L 6 MFW 598527
Elian Da Ros Côtes du Marmandais "Le vin est une fête" 2016 Abouriou/Cab Franc/Merlot 1.5L 6 MFW 598523
Benoît Roseau "Petit Patagon" IGP Collines Rhodaniennes 2015 Syrah 1.5L 6 MFW 579560
Domaine de Saint Pierre "Le Dos d'Chat – Le P'tit Côte" VdF Rouge 2017 Grenache/Syrah 1.5L 6 MFW 608529
Mélaric Saumur Puy-Notre-Dame "Clos de Messemé" 2016 Cabernet Franc 1.5L 6* MFW 610162
Bertin-Delatte "Rabatière" VdF Rouge 2017 Grolleau 1.5L 6* MFW 608469
Mélaric Saumur Puy-Notre-Dame "Clos de la Cerisaie" 2017 Syrah 1.5L 6* MFW 604063
Le Clos des Jarres "Une pour 2" IGP Aude 2017 Carignan 1.5L 6 MFW 608516
Domaine Thillardon Chénas "Les Carrières" 2018 Gamay 1.5L 6* MFW 611602
Domaine Thillardon Chénas "Les Vibrations" 2018 Gamay 1.5L 6* MFW 611601
Benoît Roseau Côte-Rôtie "Coteaux de Tupin" 2016 Syrah 1.5L 6* MFW 605016
Domaine Thillardon Chénas "Les Vibrations" 2018 Gamay 4.5L 1 MFW 611600
Italy
Bella Vita Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2017 Montepulciano 1.5L 6 MFW 538945
I Custodi Etna Rosso "Aetneus" 2010 N. Mascalese/N. Capuccio/+ 1.5L 6* PV 600750
Spain
Envínate "Albahra" VdM Tinto 2017 Garnacha Tintorera/Moravia 1.5L 3 JPS 596099
Daterra Viticultores "Portela do Vento" VdM Tinto 2017 Mencía/Garnacha Tintorera 1.5L 4* JPS 596122
Luis Rodriguez Ribeiro Tinto "A Torna Dos Pasás" 2015 Brancellao/Caiño Longo/++ 1.5L 4 JPS 605719
Envínate "Benje" VdM Tinto 2017 Listán Prieto/Tintilla 1.5L 3 JPS 589410