Mid-Spring Wine Offering, Part Deux!
Good morning! Welcome to the second part of the The Mid-Spring Wine Offering! SO Excited by the wines , hence my inability to whittle it down to a single offer. Bear with me and check these 6 amazing wines out!
First: J. Brix, Rosé of Cinsault, Uncontainable! 2020 $29
I was able to sit on a sunny porch to taste these wines, with my most excellent and clear-eyed friend, Kathryn Olson, of Vin2U wines! I lover her!
The J.Brix comes from a dry farmed, single vineyard (Hagata), in the San Diego County AVA. Grapes were harvested at sunrise, while fairies kept watch and pegasus Unicorns circled in the sky above! the grapes were foot trod and pressed off after 4 hours on the skins; elevage took place in neutral barrels, with a pinch of fairy dust, at bottling. The resultant wine? A pale, lovely, burst of energy and light . . dry as can be with layers of flavor and beautiful texture!
#2 Grape Ink, Linda's Vineyard Chardonnay 2018 $40
The first of two from this lovely poem of a man, Jarad Hadi. And by this I mean, that Jarad is a poet, as well as a winemaker. His wines show the extra-dementionality of the person, as they truly are poetic in their own rite. Chardonnay, I know, invokes different images for each of us. My image and standard is somewhere in the Cote de Beaune of Burgundy. This wine hits all of it. Mineral and acid focus; fruit that is present, but not falling all over the place; oak that is present but in such a way as to tie the wine together, forming a seamless experience from beginning to end, and at that, with a hint of toasted hazelnut kissing its sweet ass. Beautifully! This cuvée is sourced from one vineyard in Tualitin Hills, from a plot within that vineyard, that Jarad feels expresses the unique qualities of the site. vinification and elevage takes place in neutral oak, resting on lees for 20 months, with zero additives.
#3 Grape Ink, Days Until Harvest Pinot Noir 2019 $29
Again, from Grape Ink, this most amazing expression of Pinot Noir! Whole clusters of fruit pressed into neutral barrels, where fermentation and elevage take place over eighteen months. Again, zero additives. My notes upon tasting: "Fuck Yeah! Deep and long, dark berries, dried herbs, with a bit of grip . . ." As I said above, Jarad's wines aren't just that. There is more here and it comes through in every aspect, from appearance, to perfume, to palate.
#4 Railsback Freres, Vermentinu, 2020 $28
Lyle Railsback is a longtime friend, who, for most of the time I've know him, has been preaching the gospel of wine according to Kermit Lynch. And to me, Kermit is one of the Original purveyors of truly authentic wines . . . translate that to ORIGINAL GANGSTER OF NATURAL WINE! He was responsible for exposing us to the Gang Of Four from Beaujolais. Look that up! in fact, here! Click on this: Gang of Four
This is not about that though. Lyle recently departed the Lynch ship and has embarked with his brother, on his own winemaking adventure. And in the spirit of the man for whom he preached for many years, this is one of their offerings! The wine takes its cue from some of the originals: Domain Tempier, Antoine Arena . . . to name a couple. The Vermentino grapes are harvested and fermented in a mix of cement egg and neutral wood, after which, the wine spends 18 months in neutral wood before bottling. The resultant wine is a clean bright mix of citrus and beeswax, white flowers and nutmeg !? that continues to expand into a vase-full of flowers as the bottle sits open.
#5- 4 Monos GR10 Bianco 2017, Vinos De Madrid $27
I tasted this wine four weeks ago and was floored by its qualities. Here was a wine that was a trojan horse of light bright fruit, until inside the walls of my mouth, an army of texture and nuance Jumped out and slashed everything in sight, with feathers! The wine is at once, Fino Sherry-like minus the oxidation- that is the lazer focus here, and the acid. But once inside the mouth, the wine truly expands, offering a cutaway of sedimentary rock, beautiful, with each layer expressing something different, from briny seashell chalk, to salted asian pear and lemon.
Absolute!
Finally! Bichi Rosa, Tecate Mexico, 2019 $30
Why not sandwich this offer with two rosés!? This is something I just tasted a few minutes ago! Super tazed, I woke up on the floor, having wet myself. i don't know what it is about today, but I find myself unbearably susceptible to the beauty around me and this wine just seemed to add the final note of bliss, and I'm not drunk! The grapes here are a field blend and it is not entirely clear to anyone, what they are. Doesn't matter- the wine is a beautiful amalgam of fruit and savor, with a palate presence that is a smackdown, as the label might imply. Rich fruit, salted meats, the light color belies the fact that in a dark glass you would think you were drinking a red wine. Blown away . . .
As always, get in touch with me here with any questions, comments and orders!
Four bottles brings me to you!
Thank you for reading!
Much love,
Marc