Documentos de Académico
Documentos de Profesional
Documentos de Cultura
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.
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 de la Marinière
The Domaine de la Marinière, situated in Panzoult on the eastern edge of Chinon, has been farmed by the Desbourdes family since 1965. The land
here was initially used as a true, polycultural farm, raising animals and growing cereal grains in addition to grapes. Renaud Desbourdes returned to
help his father in the 1980s, turning the focus to grape growing and winemaking and expanding the vineyard plantings, and eventually took full control
of the domaine in 1999 when his father retired. Today, Renaud’s son, Boris, has joined his father full-time, and is helping to take this traditional family
domaine into the next generation. Boris initially became passionate about organic farming after working with Vincent Laval in Champagne, and upon
his return, he immediately transitioned his family’s vineyards to organics (certified in 2018). The 15ha of vines average 30 years old (with some old
parcels having been planted in the ‘50s and ‘60s) and are planted on a mix of gravelly sand and limestone soils on the hillsides. In addition to the
increased focus on farming, Boris has introduced hand-harvesting and the use of native yeast for fermentations. The result of all of this work is a set
of wines that are at the forefront of a modern approach to classic Chinon, combining the best of old traditions with youthful energy. The wines range
from fresh and gulpable to intense and age-worthy, and we are confident they will soon be considered new classics in the region.
Le Sot de l'Ange
Quentin Bourse took over his friend's property in the Touraine subzone of Azay-le-Rideau, a winery that had been certified organic for years, and
started vinifying the way he learned. We originally met him years ago, and we've seen him working all over in various cellars and vineyards, listening
and watching those people we admire: The naturalists, the biodynamists (his last gig before setting up his own shop was at the legendary Domaine
Huet in Vouvray)… Basically, he's worked with everyone except the big, bad guys. Now, the work in his own vineyards is respectful of the earth it's
grown on, and what happens in the cellar is unobtrusive to the point where it's impossible to categorize a style of the wines other than "just damn
good". Well priced, super clean sans souffre (or just a little SO2 in the case of the Chenin), biodynamic wine, made by a new winemaker that we
believe will be one to watch in the years to come.
Les Capriades
Pascal Potaire and Moses Gadouche of Les Capriades are known as "Les Rois du Pét-Nat" (the Kings of Pét-Nat) in France. Their expertise on the
subject makes them a reference for winemakers who want to learn to raise and handle of cuvée of natural bubbly. While pét-nat started mostly as a
way for winemakers to make bubbles without sending it off to a champagnisateur, Pascal and Moses have elevated it, and in fact, 95% of their total
production is pét-nat. If you've ever tried one of the wines, you already know what we are talking about. If you haven't, consider this: every single
maker in the Loire that makes a pétillant naturel makes it with Les Capriades in mind. There are no other pét-nats that will keep as long open
(seriously, a bottle can stay open in your fridge with no cork for 2 days, and still have the same amount of bubbles), that will age as well, or that are
more balanced, more refreshing. Made with all organic grapes from Touraine, no sulfur, no yeasting, no dosage, no nothing.
Ludovic Chanson
Having always had a passion for wine, Ludovic Chanson decided to leave his job in pharmaceutical research in 2007 and went to work for the
renowned Vouvray producer Vincent Carême. In 2008, he was able to purchase a 6.2ha property on the plateau near the village of Husseau, about a
five-minute drive outside of Montlouis on the left bank of the Loire River opposite Vouvray. The property is primarily planted to Chenin Blanc (5ha), but
there are also small plots of both Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. Soils here are very clay heavy with a deep limestone base, and many of the
parcels are littered with silex and flint. The average vine age is 40 years-old, and the estate was converted to organic farming in 2006 before Ludovic
took over, and he has since achieved organic certification. Harvesting is done by hand in small baskets in one pass for the Sauvignon Blanc and
Chardonnay, and multiple passes for the Chenin Blanc depending on the cuvée for which the grapes are being picked. Since Chanson’s first solo
vintage in 2009, he has always used native yeasts for fermentations, with no chaptalization, no enzymes or bentonite, and low to no sulfur additions.
Ludovic makes a full range of wines ranging from bone dry to demi-sec to pét-nats, all of which are pure expressions of Montlouis terrior.
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.
Burgundy – Chablis
Domaine Gérard Duplessis
A family domaine for five generations now, Lilian is the latest vigneron of an estate created in 1895, taking over for his father Gérard in 1999. After
going to school and internships in the region (“There was no point in making Sauvignon blanc in New Zealand, I needed to know how to work
Chardonnay in Burgundy” he says), Lilian has turned the domaine into one of the very few organic estates in Chablis. Vinifications are done in
stainless steel, then most of the Premier Crus (all but Vaugiraut) and Grand Cru spend time in old barriques for élevage. All the wines are fermented
naturally and sulfured between 20 and 30 ppm at bottling. Lilian makes some of the purest, most terroir-driven wines in the region. "If there was a
category for the "best kept secret in Chablis", Domaine Duplessis would be one of my top two picks." - Allen Meadows, Burghound
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.
Domaine Dupasquier
David Dupasquier is a fifth generation winemaker at this ultra-traditional domaine. He and his sister Veronique run the domaine, but their Father Noel
is still very much involved in the vineyards and in the cellar. The vineyards are located in a southwestern lobe of the Savoie close to the Rhône Valley
in the town of Aimavigne, home to the incredibly steep "Marestel" cru, the most prestigious vineyard in the area. The vines benefit from steep, sun-
drenched slopes, primarily limestone soil, and the cooling effects of Lake Bourget. David works these vineyards with a tractor and by hand – the
Marestel vines entirely by hand, as it is too steep to work with a tractor. Plowing is done once per year for every other row as David believes that the
biodiversity this leaves in the vineyard is critical for the quality of wines. Harvest is by hand and clusters are hand selected. The word “traditional”
invariably gets used when Dupasquier’s wines come up in conversation. There are many reasons for this, one being that the wines see quite a long
period of aging in old, neutral barrel and in bottle before release. In other regions, this type of regimen might not be so unusual, but it certainly is in
the Savoie, where the typical wine is fermented with added yeast and vinified quickly in stainless steel. This brings us to another aspect of the
Dupasquier’s traditionalism: all the wines are fermented with native yeast, and even in the coldest years, they don’t inoculate. The style of these
wines absolutely reflects the place, as well as the vineyard and cellar work. There’s a warmth and ripeness to the wines that calls the Rhône Valley to
mind, yet with freshness, acidity, and cut reminiscent of the Savoie.
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 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.
Langeudoc
Le Clos des Jarres
Les Clos de Jarres is an ambitious new domaine in Minervois started by the young Vivien Hemelsdael. Vivien’s parents had originally farmed the land
here for over 25 years, selling the fruit to the local cooperative. After studying winemaking around the world and in France in Alsace, where he initially
became interested in organic farming, Vivien returned home in 2010 and immediately converted the family's 12ha of vineyards to organics (now
certified), and has even begun incorporating some biodynamic treatments and principals. Vivien is working with a range of traditional red and white
varieties, with some of the vineyards over 80 years old. The vines are planted in the foothills of the Montagne Noire (Black Mountains), where the
cooling breezes combined with the limestone subsoil of the area helps give these wines extra freshness. The grapes are all hand harvested into small
crates to help sort the fruit in the vineyard. Fermentations are all with native yeast, and the wines are not fined or filtered, with the only addition being
a minimal amount of SO2 at bottling. These are delicious wines full of life, and we are glad to see all of Vivien’s hard work paying off.
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.
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!
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. Both native yeast fermented, the reds are aged in cement tank, while the whites are all done in stainless.
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.
Corsica
Clos Marfisi
If you aren’t familiar with Corsica, the main event is Patrimonio. This AOP covers 400ha, with half of them being owned by the two largest producers,
and the other half split up amongst thirty smaller growers. If you haven’t already guessed, Clos Marfisi is part of the latter. Brother and sister Mathieu
and Julie Marfisi are the fifth generation at the helm of this estate, having taken over from their father, Touissant, when Julie returned in 2001, and her
brother in 2012, from having careers elsewhere in France. Clos Marfisi’s vineyards (which Touissant planted about 40-50 years ago) rise up from the
Mediterranean with southern and western exposures on steep slopes that are practically white with large chunks of broken up limestone. Equally
impressive is the fact that they never gave into outside pressure and the entirety of the estate is planted to local varieties; you won’t find any Grenache
here. Their father is still very active in the vineyards and is the main reason that the estate has also never been touched by pesticides or herbicides
(they will be certified organic by the 2018 vintage). Vestiges of the old guard remain in the cellar as well where native yeasts have always been used
for fermentations, and sulfur levels are kept to a minimum. Their commitment to honoring the past while shaping their own future is incredibly exciting
to us, and after years of not paying attention to Corsica, finding out what it really has to offer couldn’t make us happier.
Germany
Mosel
Hild
You’ve probably never heard of the “upper Mosel". I really hadn’t either, aside from mildly derogatory remarks made in passing. Some of this derision
is probably deserved: the upper Mosel has had a long tradition of selling grapes en masse to cooperatives interested in high yields, irrespective of
quality. However, this is also a fascinating place, a vision of the Mosel that has nothing to do with Riesling or slate. Here we find limestone (this is the
beginning of the Paris Basin, the geological reality that informs places like Chablis and Sancerre) and a winemaking culture based on one of Europe’s
oldest grapes: Elbling. Matthias Hild farms 5ha in the upper Mosel doing something that makes almost zero financial sense: saving old, terraced
parcels of Elbling. In this area, however, it’s important to understand Elbling is something of a religion. It’s a culture, a regional dialect that is spoken
through this wine of rigorous purity, of joyous simplicity, of toothsome acidity. Even at its best, Elbling is not a grape of “greatness” as much as it is a
grape of refreshment and honesty and conviviality. The comparisons are plenty, though none of them are quite right: If Riesling is Pinot Noir, then
Elbling is Gamay. If Riesling is Chenin Blanc, then Elbling is Muscadet. You get the idea. The joy of Elbling is its raucous acidity, the vigor and energy,
the fact that it is so low in alcohol you could probably drink a bottle and still operate heavy machinery.
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.
Saar
Hofgut Falkenstein
The Weber family farms about 8ha of mainly old Riesling vines — over 40% ungrafted — in a side valley of the Saar, known as Tälchen (“little valley”).
In 1985, Erich Weber and his wife, Marita, built up the property of the then-dilapidated Falkensteinerhof (established in 1901) from scratch. All the
Riesling grapes are hand-harvested and the whole grapes are gently pressed in a pneumatic press for two to three hours. The musts are left
overnight to settle naturally and are vinified with ambient yeasts exclusively in old oak 1,000-liter Fuder casks. Their top vineyard sites are located on
various south-facing hillsides of primarily gray slate with some quartz, including the once highly prized sites of Niedermenniger Herrenberg,
Niedermenniger Sonnenberg, Krettnacher Euchariusberg, and Krettnacher Altenberg. The father-and-son team of Erich and Johannes Weber don’t
use herbicides and believe in low yields (one flat cane per vine) to produce an array of green-tinted, light-bodied, high-acid, unchaptalized dry
(trocken), off-dry (feinherb), and sweet Saar wines — all of which are cask-by-cask bottlings.
Rheingau
J.B. Becker
These wines taste like nothing else coming out of the Rheingau (or most anywhere for that matter) and Hans-Josef Becker just doesn’t give a fuck.
We struggled with a more elegant way of introducing this estate, some poignant lines describing the dirty-fingered, weathered-skin, mess-of-a-tasting-
room aesthetic of J.B. Becker. But at the heart of the matter, "HaJo", as his friends call him, will get up in the morning, go into his vineyards, and make
the kinds of wines he wants to make. And that’s about it. They are unflaggingly honest and present a vocabulary that few white wines can match: dried
earth and rocks, herbs, something vaguely subterranean, a savory, briny, smoky atmosphere that slowly reveals fine layers of bright citrus. They flaunt
a rather prominent acidity that recalls the more nervy wines of the Mosel, Saar, and Ruwer, though there is a weight, a density that speaks of the
Rheingau. They seem to have more to do with great, aged Chablis than with what we often think of as German Riesling. If there is any grand system
here, it is inscrutable. Consider, on the one hand, that Becker (and his father before him) has worked the vineyards organically for many, many years
(they finally became certified in 2011). On the other hand, this rather important fact is mentioned exactly nowhere so far as I can tell. Becker believes
the Rheingau has been particularly devastated by the decades of commercial agriculture; he says it took him many years to bring back to life a
healthy, diverse population of yeasts in the vineyards and the cellars. Thus, he is a strong advocate of wild yeast fermentations. This practice puts the
graying, wild statesman of German winemaking right next to the young German hipster-growers, as obsessed with natural yeasts as anything else. On
the other hand, since vintage 2003, Becker has bottled his wine with glass closures, which of course alienates him from this same population. Becker
prefers to use pressurized tanks for fermentation, relishing a quick, warm fermentation (a similar method is used at places like J.J. Prüm, Keller, etc).
Then he racks the juice into the traditional barrels of the Rheingau for at least two years of barrel age before bottling. Even with these very long
élevages, Becker seems to release wines willy-nilly – he keeps older vintages around because, in a way, the wines demand it. The wines all have
enormous aging potential, but even a couple of years in bottle unlocks their soul. These are Rieslings that make no concessions to modernity or to
fashion and are defiantly old school. They are living fossils, the likes of which we may never see again.
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.
Austria
Niederösterreich – Weinviertel
Weingut Martinshof
“Innovation, stubbornness and a bit of madness.” This, according to Michael Martin, the young wine making dynamo of Weingut Martinshof, is the
secret to his success. The trend to buck conservative thought was started even by his great grandfather, who insisted on growing Burgundian
grapes in the 13ha of vineyards many years before they were popular in Austria. The Martin family has owned and operated the Heuriger “Zum
Martin Sepp” for generations and it still remains one of the most popular wine taverns of Vienna’s Grinzing district. As Michael took over the
winemaking in the late '80s, it was his desire to bring the Martinshof name back from quantity to quality. “Food friendly” is the first thought that
comes to mind when sipping any of the Martinshof wines; whether light and elegant or rich and structured, all of Michael’s wines scream for food.
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
Bouquetin
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 Alpine Gamay is from Italy’s northwest corner
in Valle d’Aosta, so it speaks Italian and French, but there’s nothing Nouveau about Gamay in this valley: It was brought here a thousand years ago
during the reign of the Dukes of Burgundy. The vineyards sit at 650-800 meters in the Alta Valle west of the city of Aosta. Soils are alluvial with glacial
moraine. Hand-harvested grapes are macerated for eight days and then aged for eight months, all in stainless steel. The wine has a pretty, lightly
floral nose with a palate of sour cherry and minerals. Drink it with barbecue or quaff it slightly chilled après-ski-hike-bike-work. Its name, Bouquetin
(boo-kuh-TAN) is after the ibex, the local mountain goat.
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
Cascina Fornace
We drink lots of Roero wines, and we’re friends with quite a few producers there. But we’ve yet to taste wines more lithe and pure, with more of that
famed Roero 'profumato' nose, than those of Enrico Cauda. His family has farmed for generations and used to sell grapes and make wine for their
own consumption. Skip forward to 2011, and Enrico decides to start bottling wine under his own label, naming it after the old fornace, or brick kiln,
that was on the property. Enrico and his brother Manuele now farm 3ha of old-vine Arneis and Nebbiolo (50-60 years old) organically, with certification
in process. The vineyards are in the village of Santo Stefano Roero, and thus higher in altitude than most others in the Roero. Soils are classic
Roero, with a high percentage of sand. Native yeasts, super-meticulous farming, all work in the vineyard is done by hand, in part because the
vineyards are too steep for a tractor.
Fuso
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. One day, PortoVino founder Ernest asked Walter
Massa (2011 Gambero Rosso Wine Grower of the Year) for a favor: Walter is most famous as the prophet of Timorasso in Colli Tortonesi, but the area
has a long tradition for delicious Barbera (including Walter’s Barbera ‘Monleale’). Fuso Barbera isn’t a private label with wine from anywhere; it’s all
estate fruit, vinified with a slow, traditional fermentation, and aged in concrete tanks. We work closely with Walter to choose the vineyards and make
the final cuvée.
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.
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.
Terre Sparse
When you travel from the Piemonte region into Valle d’Aosta, you pass through the pre-alpine growing areas of Caluso and Carema. Unfortunately,
as you drive along the road, you’ll also notice many abandoned terraces. There’s now a few less, grazie to Matteo Trompetto and his farm, Terre
Sparse. Matteo’s given love to those abandoned terraces, and life to a small traditional farm. There’s much work to be done and Terre Sparse is an
ambitious undertaking. It’s an area we don’t usually see many new wine producers popping up, let alone ones with working farms. And that’s a shame
since the soil and climate here are unique and warrant our attention. The Caluso DOCG sits a bit lower than the Carema DOCG, which is more Alpine
in nature. Both are located in a natural morainic amphitheater, whose soil composition of sand and other elements renders it alkaline, producing wines
with low alcohol and a savory quality. Matteo’s winemaking reflects the ethos of his organic farm; the wines have minimal intervention and use native
yeasts. Sulfur levels are low and coming down each year as he gains confidence (and feeds the family). These wines are not glou-glou; they have too
pithy of a texture, and the savory notes have a tinge of bitter, which maybe is a hallmark of many Italian wines. But they sure do go down easy after
day of hard of work on the farm.
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.
Lombardia
Cà del Vént
Cà del Vént, home of the wind, is the name of the winery and an apt description of it. Just North of Brescia, in the hills of Campiani di Cellatica, a
sunny southern exposition warms 6ha of vineyards, which are then cooled by the wind that’s always blowing here. An altitude of 300-400m and
mainly chalky soils chisel the fruit. In the last few years, as the wines have become more refined and acid-driven, the Franciacorta consortium has
started rejecting them. Well, for Franciacorta lovers, maybe that would be a problem. For us, it’s encouraging. Antonio Tornincasa and Flavio Faliva
are obsessive naturalistas – in an area that’s known not to be too friendly to organic wines. The wines have an edgy acidity and a precision that
reflects their exhaustive work in analyzing soil structure and composition in their 13 parcels, each of which is vinified separately. Pas Operé refers to
the use of the same wine (instead of sugar) for secondary fermentation, and there are no other additives whatsoever. These are not cheap, but I truly
don’t know of any sparkling wines that are more stunning and pure than these in all of Italy.
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).
Corte Sant'Alda
Corte Sant’Alda’s owner, Marinella Camerani, is a bit of an outsider in Valpolicella. She took over her family farm in 1985 and immediately began
the conversion to certified organic. Not long after, she began working biodynamically, and the vineyards are now certified by Demeter. She and her
partner, Cesar, work 21ha of vineyards at 400m elevation on red and white limestone (Scala Rossa Veneta and Biancone) in the upper reaches of
the Val di Mezzane. Their aim is to produce toothsome bottlings of Soave and Valpolicella, but also fresh and savory versions of Ripasso, Amarone,
and Recioto. Marinella is a force of nature; as serious as she is about her vineyards and wines (and the cherry jam that she cans), she’s also full of
wit, a straight shooter about natural wines, and not afraid of holding court with the best of the armchair prophets and naysayers in her area and
beyond. She once told a group of wine professionals visiting her that she uses a "technology" called the sorting table, since many in the area, she
explained, sorting table or not, sell out. Thankfully, she hasn’t.
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.
Liguria
Vio
In the tiny village of Vendone, just 12km inland and 300m above the sea, Ettore and Natalina Vio planted vines and olive trees amidst the Ligurian
mountain scrub in the 1970s. Today, their son, Claudio, and his wife, Maria Grazia, now tend the family farm. The dispersed patchwork of tiny,
terraced vineyard plots adding up to just 2ha — mostly Pigato, with a little Vermentino and some local red varieties — yield just enough wine for us to
bring in a few hundred cases a year. A hectare of olive orchards gives even less of their beautifully delicate olive oil (ask us nicely, and we might be
able to get you a little). Farming is 'lotta integrata' (manual weeding, no treatments besides Bordeaux mixture), all harvesting is by hand (by necessity
of the small, steep terraced parcels), and fermentations are with native yeasts.
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!
Folicello
Marco Folicello is an old-school Italian DIYer who's been an advocate of low and no-sulfur wines for over 20 years. His vines, located northwest of
Bologna, have been certified organic since the 1980's, and he has always been a passionate practitioner of native yeast fermentations. Marco works
predominantly with Grechetto Gentile or Grechetto di Todi, also known as Pignoletto nowadays. This daily drinker is refreshing with relatively low
alcohol, lemon, a touch of lavender, and almond notes. Excellent as an aperitivo, the wine can be a bit cloudy, since it’s not filtered – that's a good
thing!
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.
Mariotti
Mirco Mariotti's vineyards are located in the eastern ‘Romagna’ part of Emilia-Romagna, an area much less known than the western Lambrusco area
of Emilia. In fact, you’ll notice that Mirco’s wines use an Emilia IGP designation for what should be Romagna IGP – if only it existed. Nevertheless, it’s
a place with lots of local color, there’s a beach nearby, and folks often play cards here into the night, accompanied by sweating bottles of their own
DIY sparkling wines from the local grapes. Mirco, too, had started off making some of these DIY wines made from his own vineyards in the Bosco
Eliceo area. The vines are old, some planted in 1952, some well over 100 years old. All are on native rootstock (piede franco), as they are planted in
the beach sand, just 300 meters from the waves. Mirco chooses to work exclusively with the local varieties: Fortana, the low alcohol, high acid red
with some pretty rustic-rusty tannins, ideal for a refreshing rosato, and Trebbiano Romagnolo and Malvasia di Candia for the bianco, where the
savory, herbal, salty aspect of growing vines so close to the beach really comes through. After hand harvesting, the first fermentations are all with
native yeasts in concrete tank. Secondary fermentation is in bottle, using must from the same harvest instead of adding sugar. There is one gentle
decantation, but other than that, the wines are not filtered or disgorged. Kick off your sandals, light up the grill, deal the cards. This farmer fizz is a
good bet on rare, local varieties that are unique, delicious, and without pretense.
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.
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.
Ranchelle
The best wine producers have their own brand of authenticity, and it comes through in the wines. Christoph Fischer is a long-time German expat
who’s fixated on a preservation project (recupero) of Maremma’s abandoned vineyards and varieties. The Maremma area lies mostly along the
Tuscan coast. It’s a place where the ancient Etruscans once cultivated vines and where the Butteri (Tuscan cowboys) still roam. Morello di Scansano
is perhaps the best-known wine from the Maremma. It can offer juicy fun, but the old local varieties here are way more soulful. We know of no one
doing such interesting work as Christoph in the area: all organic farming, all native yeasts, extremely low sulfur. Soils are an even mix of sand,
limestone, and clay. Christof works from a one hectare plot of 60 year-old albarello (bush) vines in an area named on old maps as Millocchio: literally
a ‘thousand-eyes’ (mille + occhio). According to locals, it was an area where there were once so many vineyards on the hills that thousands of vine
buds would look down on you. From that one abandoned vineyard, he has planted two more hectares using massale selection. Both wines (one white
and one red) ferment to dryness in open-topped fermenters with skin contact for about three weeks and punchdowns twice a day using a multi-
pronged mandrone stick that he got from an old farmer in the area. Christoph’s makeshift cellar was a Super Alimentari (corner grocery store) in the
1970s. It’s extremely clean now. After a light pressing, most of the juice goes into used 500-liter tonneaux; about 30% goes into stainless steel tanks.
A tiny amount of sulfur is used only when he blends the two parts.
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.
Marche
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).
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 of
Cantine Polvanera. 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.
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.
Nanclares
Located in Cambados right on the Atlantic Ocean, Alberto Nanclares has been quietly crafting some of the most serious, ocean-infused, age-worthy
Albariños in the Val do Salnés subzone of Rías Baixas. After a career as an economist for many years, in 1992, Alberto and his wife wanted to unwind
their careers near the ocean. As happenstance, the small home they purchased came with some vineyard land. Initially, Alberto had no plans to make
wine, but the idea of farming grew on him, so he invested in some winemaking tools and set up a tiny winery in his garage. In the beginning, Alberto
farmed conventionally but quickly became disenchanted with the use of chemicals. Gradually, he moved away from the systematic herbicide and
pesticide use and has now eliminated chemicals altogether with full-fledged organic farming and some work with biodynamics, a rarity in this humid,
Atlantic-influenced region. Alberto currently tends 2.5ha of vines, all trained in the traditional pergola style, and divided into 12 small parcels in the
parroquias of Cambados and Meaño. Some of the vines are so close to the ocean that Alberto gathers seaweed to use for compost, and he does not
plow in order to keep the surrounding flora and fauna in their natural habitat. After harvesting by hand, all of his wines are fermented with wild yeasts
by parcel, and he chooses not to de-acidify, preferring the edginess of the naturally high acidity. Malolactic fermentation rarely occurs, and the wines
spend a good amount of time (usually more than one year) on their lees before being bottled without clarification or filtration and only a minimal dose
of sulfur. Nanclares wines are angular and 'vin de garde' in style with great concentration, crystalline precision, and a distinct saline character that
pairs effortlessly with the abundant fresh seafood the region is known for.
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 and Viura grapes, 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
Carlania
Carlania is a small family run winery comprised of husband and wife (and Conca de Barberá natives) Jordi Miró and Sònia Gomà-Camps. Jordi
grew up working his family’s vineyards alongside his father, and after working in the port city of Tarragona, the couple decided to settle back in
the countryside of Conca close to their extended families to raise their children in a rural setting and live amongst the vines. Today, the couple
biodynamically farm 13ha of vineyards. As is typical of the region, the vineyards are a mix of 'espaldera' and 'en vaso', and sit at 400-500m elevation
just 20 miles inland from the Mediterranean Sea. This village is the epicenter (and identity) of the Trepat grape, so most of their holdings are Trepat
(along with some Macabeu), with the parcels ranging from 30-40 years old on average, with some vineyards more than 100 years old. Only sulfur
and biodynamic preparations are used in the vineyards, all harvesting is by hand, and since 2015, Jordi and Sònia have vinified their wines
completely without any additives (including SO2) and without fining or filtration. The resultant wines show the years of work that Jordi and Sònia
have put into natural farming and winemaking; they are wonderfully complex, gulpable wines that show pure, mouth-coating Mediterranean flavors
and compliment the cuisine of Carlania's home region.
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.
Extremadura
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.
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.
Neyda
Sourced from an organic grower in Castilla with a large collection of relatively old, bush-trained vines, Neyda comes from a single vineyard of nearly
100 year-old vines. After a 20 day maceration and fermentation in stainless steel, the wine ages in French oak and is bottled unfiltered. A great
example of the old-vine history of Castilla-La Mancha for an awesome price.
Gutiérrez de la Vega
For nearly 40 years, Felipe Gutiérrez de la Vega and his wife, Pilar, have championed traditional winegrowing in the sun-soaked region of coastal
Alicante. Inspired by the historical wine styles of their area and the artists and writers who enliven their cuvée labels and names, the family produces
a diverse range of 'vinos mediterraneos' from dry to sweet. In 1982, the couple moved the winery into an old Almazara (olive mill) in the secluded
village of Parcent to have better access to the diverse range of vineyard sites throughout their region. They currently farm 10ha (2 owned, 8 rented)
of head-pruned vines with a variety of parcel sizes, expositions, and elevations around La Marina Alta, as well as inland in the Sierra de Salinas
mountains. Since they are only a few kilometers from the sea, the nearby Mediterranean brings breezes and a pleasant humidity to their rugged
mountainside. Organic farming combined with the earthy soils, high elevations, and proximity to the ocean allow the grapes to fully ripen while
maintaining very good acidity. The grape varieties are as varied as the climates. Moscatel comes from the lower lying areas close to the ocean and is
planted on ancient terraces of chalky, iron-rich clay soils. Monastrell makes its home in the ungrafted sandy soils of the Sierra de Salinas. Giró, the
local clone of Garnacha, comes from coastal mountain vineyards planted on clay-calcareous soils. Their winemaking approach has always been
artisan: natural yeasts are employed for fermentation, and no other products are used in the winery except for judicious amounts of sulfur. Soleras are
maintained for their highly acclaimed noble sweet wines, and based on the direction of Felipe, there will be a bottling periodically with an age
designation. Clearly, the results are worth the effort, as these wines are nothing short of brilliant and show the truly authentic approach that Gutiérrez
de la Vega has brought to fine winemaking in Alicante.
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.
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.
United States
California
Amplify Wines
Lifelong Santa Barbara natives Marlen and Cameron Porter are the husband-and-wife team behind Amplify Wines. After initially bonding over a shared
love of wine and music, they created Amplify as a natural extension of the marriage between their two greatest passions. As winemakers, they seek to
amplify the voice of a site and enhance the most singular characteristics of a given vineyard, marrying a sense of place with a sense of style. Although
not fans of dogma, there are certain winemaking and farming principles that are central to their beliefs: native yeast fermentations, neutral vessels for
fermentation and aging, no additions of any kind besides sulfur, farming that seeks to establish a healthy ecosystem, enhancing and supporting the
natural characteristics of a given place, and embracing happy accidents and letting intuition be their guide. And by following that intuition, they have
created some gorgeous and authentic wines with a unique voice that is all their own.
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.
Inconnu
Inspired by the French tradition of vin de soif, or “wine of thirst,” Laura Brennan Bissell started Inconnu to create pleasurable, fresh, earth-driven wines
at accessible prices. After internships with Unti and Matthiasson in California, Laura was hooked and decided to start her own project. Working closely
with growers who farm organically (either working or certified), Laura is sourcing fruit unique vineyard sites across California, with the goal to display
their distinctive characteristics through subtle winemaking. Fermentations are spontaneous, sulfur is kept to a minimum, and there are no other
interventions in the cellar. The resulting wines are bright, mineral, and highly drinkable, showing a great devotion to the craft while still being priced
well enough to enjoy every day.
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.
Pied à Terre
Pied à Terre is the realization of Richard Luftig’s dream and the culmination of 20 years of his experience as a professional wine buyer in New York
City. While there were, and still are, plenty of inexpensive wines from California on the market, Richard found it difficult to find high-quality, soulful,
and truly balanced ones that didn’t break the bank. Pied à Terre was created to fill that void. Pied à Terre literally means "foot to earth" and represents
Richard’s belief that the farmer's footprint is the most important sight in a vineyard. When the land is well-trodden, the vine will be well-tended, and the
details will not be overlooked. Pied à Terre is made in collaboration with winemaker Clay Mauritson, who has been making wine for 18 years and
shares Richard’s belief that great wine starts in the vineyard. They only farm and source fruit from farmers with whom they have long-standing
relationships, from diverse sites all over Sonoma focusing on the healthiest, most balanced vineyards they can find. They also believe in minimal
intervention so, in the cellar, they strive to make the cleanest, most delicious wine without manipulation, all while never losing sight of the fact that
the wine must be affordable.
Oregon
Art+Science
By day, Dan Rinke is the winemaker and vineyard manager at the biodynamic Johan Vineyards. But Rinke's labor of love is Art+Science, where he
has been crafting tiny-production wine and natural cider since 2011. Dan is the "science" part of the equation, taking care of production and farming,
while his artist wife Kim Hamblin fashions the evocative cut-paper art that adorns each bottle, all done at Roshambo Art Farm – their rock quarry,
music venue, and working farm. Dan's leading philosophy is one of respect, utilizing organic and biodynamic farming principles, eliminating synthetic
fertilizers, herbicides, and fungicides, and using only their own cow manure and biodynamic preparations made from plants growing on the property.
The same philosophies that are used in the vineyards are also applied in the winery, where the only addition during the winemaking process is a small
amount of sulfur, and only right before bottling. Since 2013, Dan and Kim have also begun foraging for old, unsprayed, wild apples, pears, and quince
in the western side of the Willamette Valley, making some of the most exciting, complex renditions of natural cider and perry in the States today.
Golden Cluster
Charles Coury is one of the Northwest’s original wine pioneers, a man with amazing foresight who believed in the long-term potential of Oregon’s
cool-climate regions. Coury purchased an old, abandoned vineyard in the hills above Forest Grove in 1965 and began replanting grape vines. Some
Pinot Noir, but also lots of white grapes: Riesling, Sylvaner, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Gouges Blanc, Pearl of Csaba, Flora, Chasselas, Muscat,
and, most importantly, Sémillon. This vineyard is one of the oldest in Oregon (planted the same year David Lett first planted Pinot Noir), with origins
dating back to the 1880’s. Today, thegrapes for Golden Cluster come from this original vineyard block, making them the oldest known Sémillon in the
Pacific Northwest. The vines are dry farmed and planted on their own roots. After hand harvesting, the grapes spend around 50 hours on the skins
and ferment with native yeast. Aging is in neutral barrels, and there is no fining or filtration. Charles Coury was a man who was ahead of his time, and
Golden Cluster proves to people just how right his vision was. We hope you enjoy this unique piece of Oregon wine history.
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.
Minimus
Minimus is a science project for Chad Stock, winemaker at Johan Vineyards. The name reflects his philosophy that to produce the most pure and
natural product, one must use minimal interference. Each wine is the result of an experiment designed to challenge Chad's formal education in
Enology. The resulting wines, should they survive the experiment, are numbered in the order that they are released, and will be produced only once.
Chad keeps track of each experiment in his journal, documenting every aspect of the process including conception, implementation, vineyard site
selection, and much, more more. Ultimately, his goal is to use these experiments to grow as a winemaker, and to some day to write a craft
winemaking book about the experience.
Maryland
Old Westminster Winery
Nestled in Carroll County, Maryland’s rolling countryside, Old Westminster Winery is the Baker family’s project to preserve their family farm and put
their land to work to craft distinctive wines with a sense of place. They set out in the spring of 2011 by planting Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Chardonnay,
and Albariño in their Home Vineyard at 800ft elevation on channery loam soils overlaying a bedrock of greenstone schist. In addition to their own
vines, Old Westminster works closely with neighboring vineyards to source fruit from a variety of soil types and expositions, allowing them to represent
the region’s diverse geologies and variable climate. In the vineyards, they implement a pragmatic farming program using environmentally sound
materials; mostly organic (and even experimenting with biodynamics), but also synthetic when it's known to be more effective and less intrusive for
Maryland’s demanding climate. Drew Baker, who handles the vineyard work, systematically rotates sprays to avoid resistance and reduce the volume
of necessary applications and utilizes diverse cover crops to promote beneficial insects and vines with stronger immune systems that need fewer
inputs. In the winery as well, the goal is to produce wines that reflect both the vineyard and vintage with minimal additions. Drew’s sister, Lisa Hinton,
who handles winemaking duties, achieves this by hand-picking and sorting the fruit, using gravity rather than pumps, fermenting all wines with
indigenous yeast, and bottling without fining or filtration. They are also experimenting with carbonic maceration and skin-contact whites, have gone
all-in on an impressive set of pét-nats, and have even produced the first true natural wines in can! Through the Baker family's collective expertise,
meticulous vineyard care, and thoughtful cellar practices, they have already managed to produce distinctive wines that are a pleasure to drink and
are putting Maryland wine on the world map.
Chile
Valle Central
Escándalo
After obtaining his enology degree in Spain, Mauricio Veloso Estuardo spent the next five years making wine around the country, including stints in
Bierzo where he first learned about low-intervention winemaking. In 2011, Mauricio decided to return back to his native Chile, taking a job with a large
producer where he was tasked with sourcing fruit from small farmers in the various winemaking valleys throughout the country. Through his travels,
Mauricio was able to discover beautiful, old vineyards in Colchagua, Itata, Maule, and beyond, home to traditional grapes like Pais, Sémillon, Cinsault,
and a few small lots of the forgotten-about Carignan, with vines ranging from 60 to over 200 years old. With this knowledge, in 2013, Mauricio decided
to start his own project, Escándalo, to highlight the amazing potential of these old, patrimonial vineyards throughout Chile. Today, Mauricio travels
nearly 400km from north to south searching out these old plots. The work in the vineyards remains extremely traditional with no chemicals used in
the vines (only organic treatments or plant and citrus extracts the farmers have used for generations) and all harvesting is done by hand. In the cellar,
everything is allowed to ferment spontaneously, and there is no fining or filtration, and only small additions of SO2 before bottling. These are honest
wines with great purity and freshness, proving that these old vineyards and traditional methods are still the best way to show off the amazing
viticultural history of Chile.
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!
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 – Trentino
Distilleria Francesco
Francesco Poli’s vineyards (550m/1800ft) can be found along the emerald-colored alpine lake of Santa Massenza, in the Trentino area of Trentino-
Alto Adige. Francesco Poli’s son, Alessandro, now works and oversees them along with the cantina. Alessandro works mostly with the native grape
varieties of the area: the delicate and herbal red, Schiava, and the lithe alpine white, Nosiola. Working with native yeast fermentations, his cellar style
remains minimalist with the precision and timing of a good cellar master. He has always believed in organic farming, and the winery obtained organic
certification in 1989 (and they now also employ several biodynamic techniques and preparations). Distilleria Francesco is the other face of Francesco
Poli. Besides wine, Poli is equally known for his detailed and delicately textured herbal infusions and various bottlings of grappa produced on the
property with a wood-burning, copper 'bagnomaria' water bath still.
Italy – Veneto
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). In addition to their
exceptional sparkling wines, the women also continue on the tradition of producing a small amount of Amaro. Previously, this Amaro was reserved
just for friends and family that came to visit at Cinzia's grandmother's osteria in Vittorio Veneto (she is the 'Alice' in 'Le Vigne di Alice'). Luckily, we
managed to convince them to sell us whatever extra they could so we have a small amount to share with you today. Cinzia’s aunt’s nickname was
'Nina' and she was the one who composed the amaro recipe with over 30 different medicinal (and mountain) herbs. The bitter cut comes from
Gentiana lutea, known in English as bitter root. The herb grows in grassy alpine and sub-Alpine pastures, usually on calcareous soil. You may
recognize its bitterness, as it is the main ingredient in Angostura bitters. Mint, orange rind, sage, fennel fronds, and more give aromatic nuance.
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.
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.
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" 2013 Apples/Honey 750mL 3* 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
Corte Sant'Alda Recioto della Valpolicella 2013 Corvina Grossa/Rondinella 500mL 6 PV 566679
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
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
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
- all prices and vintages subject to change -
November 2018 49
Big Bottles
Name Vintage Grapes Size Pack Importer SLO Code
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 Gandines Viré-Clessé "Climat Les Gandines" 2014 Chardonnay 1.5L 6 MFW 577180
Mélaric Saumur Blanc "Billes de Roche" 2014 Chenin Blanc 1.5L 6* MFW 603344
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 2016 Pinot Grigio 1.5L 6 MFW 538943
Spain
Daterra Viticultores "Gavela de Vila" VdM Blanco 2016 Palomino 1.5L 6* JPS 596123
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
United States
Bow & Arrow Eola-Amity Hills Sauvignon Blanc "Le Chénaie Vnyd" 2016 Sauvignon Blanc 1.5L 6* MFW 601238
Rosé Wine
France
Domaine du Chapitre Côtes du Rhône Rosé 2017 Grenache/Clairette Rose/++ 750mL 12 MFW
Bernard Vallette "La Rose Gorge" VdF Rosé 2017 Gamay 1.5L 6 MFW 582812
United States
Division-Villages Columbia Valley Rosé of Gamay Noir "L'Avoiron" 2017 Gamay Noir 1.5L 6 MFW 596035
Red Wine
France
Le Clos des Jarres "Insouciance" IGP Coteaux de Peyriac 2016 Caladoc/Merlot 750mL 12 MFW 601377
Bernard Vallette Beaujolais "Quatre Saisons" 2014 Gamay 1.5L 6 MFW 541912
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
Mas Foulaquier Pic Saint-Loup "Gran' Tonillières" 2010 Carignan/Grenache/Syrah 1.5L 6* MFW 584328
Mélaric Saumur Puy-Notre-Dame "Clos de la Cerisaie" 2015 Cabernet Franc 1.5L 6* MFW 603345
Domaine Thillardon Chénas "Les Carrières" 2017 Gamay 1.5L 6* MFW 599825
Elian Da Ros Côtes du Marmandais "Chante Coucou" 2011 Merlot/CS/Malbec/Syrah 1.5L 6* MFW 570425
Domaine de Saint Pierre Arbois "Saint-Pierre" 2016 Pinot Noir 1.5L 6* MFW 590069
Domaine de Saint Pierre Côtes du Jura "Les Gaudrettes" 2016 Pinot Noir 1.5L 6* MFW 590071
Italy
Bella Vita Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2016 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
Envínate "Lousas – Viñas de aldea" VdM Tinto 2015 Mencía 1.5L 3 JPS 583464
Daterra Viticultores "Portela do Vento" VdM Tinto 2016 Mencía/Garnacha Tintorera 1.5L 4* JPS 596122
Envínate "Benje" VdM Tinto 2017 Listán Prieto/Tintilla 1.5L 3 JPS 589410
United States
Bow & Arrow Willamette Valley "Air Guitar" 2016 Cab Franc/Cab Sauvignon 1.5L 6* MFW 601236
Bow & Arrow Willamette Valley "Rhinestones" 2016 Pinot Noir/Gamay 1.5L 6* MFW 601237