The Explorer: Mixed
New Members
Chateau La Rame Sauvignon Blanc
From the winemaker: "The grapes for this cuvée come from a four hectare hillside parcel of clay and limestone soil with a full southern exposure that overlooks the Garonne River and is planted to Sauvignon Blanc. The vines have an average age of 20 years (as of 2011). After a manual harvest, the grapes are fermented in temperature-controlled vats and left on the fine lees for six months prior to bottling. The overwhelming majority of this cuvée is reserved for our use in the US market (18,000 to 24,000 bottles per annum).”
Stolpman Syrah
From the winemaker: "The most representative “flagship” bottling of the vineyard, Estate Syrah has become the calling card not only for Stolpman, but for the Ballard Canyon AVA. Estate Syrah also symbolizes the evolution in viticulture and winemaking at Stolpman Vineyards. In the 1990s and well into the 2000s, this wine was made in a more heavy-handed style – employing extended macerations, forcefully extractive punch-downs multiple times daily, and new French oak barrels – all in the effort to make bigger, more powerful wines. Today we rely on concentration derived from our version of dry-farming – no irrigation from fruit-set through picking. We are able to harvest small, undiluted grapes at the peak of freshness without the jammy flatness associated with dehydrated fruit. Confident that our grapes provide plentiful color, flavor, and texture; we now manage our fermentations much more gently – delicately circulating the juice in an effort to eliminate harsh tannin and elevate the purity and nuance of the finished wine. All in all, Estate Grown Syrah now reaches a finer balance and is more delicious drunk both young, and fully mature."
Natural Mix
Division Noveau Gamay
From the winemaker: "Mais oui…Le Division "Nouveau Nouveau" est arrivé! 2021 marks the tenth vintage of our Beaujolais-inspired Nouveau made with 100% Gamay Noir from Carousel Vineyard, planted at high up lands of the Yakima Valley, within the Columbia Valley AVA. Like our friends in Beaujolais, nouveau wines are typically the first wines released from any given vintage, created to celebrate the end of harvest. Beaujolais Nouveau Day, the third Thursday in November, is when these wines are released to the general public. We stick to this tradition and release our Nouveau Nouveau on the same day, with a celebration of winemakers and wine drinkers all over the world to pop these fresh, fruity, and quaffable reds to celebrate the bounty of the harvest and all of the hard work involved in making the year’s wine. Nouveau is all about drinking, not thinking – so grab some friends, grab some nouveau, and enjoy!"
DELINQUENTE WINE CO. “TUFF NUTT” BIANCO PET NAT
From the winemaker: “This year’s Bianco Pet Nat so bright and clean – intense tropical and citrus fruit bursting from the glass, it just screams drink me. Perfect beady, fuzzy fizz pops in the mouth, where the fruits are present but increasingly we see more of the herbaceous, savoury, moreish characters come through. Fresh, persistent, delicious – a wine made for sunshine savouring.”
Elegant Traditional Mix
Bow & Arrow Gamay
From the winemaker: "My name is Scott Frank and Bow & Arrow is my interpretation of the Willamette Valley’s humble terroir. The most important parts of that equation are the Willamette Valley and “humble.” Our growing region is frequently approached as a grand terroir destined to produce prestigious wines with an implicit Burgundian influence. I’m honored to make wine here. Still, the valley I know and love is as much a blue-collar agricultural area as it is a boutique wine destination. It’s as much a collection of relatively simple, clay dominated soils as it is home to multi-generation family estates and renowned AVA’s. Bow & Arrow uses a different template to explore this different, simpler side of the Willamette Valley. Instead of Burgundy, we pay homage to the refreshing and decidedly working class wines of France’s Loire Valley."
HENRY PELLÉ LES BORNÉS
From the winemaker: “The perfect combination of the different areas of the Menetou-Salon region. ‘Les bornés’, which means ‘clay soil’ in Berrichon —the local dialect— is an aromatic wine. The nose is reminiscent of the grape variety and the taste is full, rich and tender. A truly pleasurable wine that will reach its fullest potential in 2 to 3 years.”
Powerful Traditional Mix
Le Monde PINOT NERO ROSÉ SPARKLING
About the winery: Le Monde lies between the banks of the Livenza and Meduna rivers, close to the border between the provinces of Treviso and Pordenone in Friuli Grave. The winery headquarters, built in the eighteenth century maintains the architectural characteristics of the time. Originally property of the Pistoni family, the wine farm together with the vineyards was acquired Alex Maccan in 2008. Alex is now the owner and winemaker.
Stolpman syrah
From the winemaker: "The most representative “flagship” bottling of the vineyard, Estate Syrah has become the calling card not only for Stolpman, but for the Ballard Canyon AVA. Estate Syrah also symbolizes the evolution in viticulture and winemaking at Stolpman Vineyards. In the 1990s and well into the 2000s, this wine was made in a more heavy-handed style – employing extended macerations, forcefully extractive punch-downs multiple times daily, and new French oak barrels – all in the effort to make bigger, more powerful wines. Today we rely on concentration derived from our version of dry-farming – no irrigation from fruit-set through picking. We are able to harvest small, undiluted grapes at the peak of freshness without the jammy flatness associated with dehydrated fruit. Confident that our grapes provide plentiful color, flavor, and texture; we now manage our fermentations much more gently – delicately circulating the juice in an effort to eliminate harsh tannin and elevate the purity and nuance of the finished wine. All in all, Estate Grown Syrah now reaches a finer balance and is more delicious drunk both young, and fully mature."
Modern Mix
Buehler Zinfandel
From the winemaker: "Our Zinfandel was aged for 12 months in a combination of French and American oak barrels, 20% of which were new. At this level of “new wood”, the up-front endearing quality of Zinfandel can assert itself. Aromas of a briar patch on a hot summer day carry over to the palate and are carried in a mouth-filling, deeply layered, juicy package. The wine was crafted for immediate enjoyment but for those who enjoy a more complex wine displaying some bottle-aged character, aging for another two to three years is a good option."
FRANÇOIS ET JULIEN PINON VOUVRAY "TROIS ARGILES"
About the winemaker: The wines of François and Julien Pinon are considered among the finest of Vouvray. François, a former child psychologist, took over the estate from his father in 1987, and has steadily made a name for the estate. He is a serious winemaker whose main focus is "to keep the typicity of both the appellation and the vintage" in all his wines. Julien's arrival has cemented the family's dedication to organic viticulture and minimal intervention winemaking.