Wino Wrestling Federation #3 MACERATION
WWF Lineup ~ APRIL 2021
This month we are focusing on maceration, or time spent on the skins.
We often discuss what exactly does a natural winemaker do if he isn’t putting chemicals (i.e. acids, enzymes, copper, etc..) into their wine. How do they create such individual expressions of grape and terroir? One such method is Maceration, or time in contact with the skins and stems known as Pomace. Without going into too much detail the Pomace contains Phenolic compounds which consists of a large group of chemical compounds that influence the color, texture and flavor of the wine. The longer the contact time with the more of the more extracted those compounds will be. This extraction time is what a winemaker will employ to make a Red grape into either a rose or a red wine or white grapes into a white or orange wines.
This month we focused on two varietals that go well with spring, Sauvignon Blanc and Gamay. Continuing on our path of juxtaposing local and afar winemakers. We have near and very dear producers, Veteran Edumund St. John and “Ones to Watch” Maitre De Chai. From distances of lands gone unexplored in 2020 we have the enigmatic Chilean producer Vinedos Herrara Alvarado and the ever impressive French producer Herve Villemade.
Peace, Love and soul
- Addam
Edmunds St. John - Bone Jolly 2019 Gamay Rose
Varietal: Gamay
Region: El Dorado, Ca
ABV:
Colour: Red Coral
Nose: Nectarine, Lime peel, Cream
Taste: Watermelon, Sour cherry, Cranberry, Strawberry
Soil: Volcanic Loam
Farming: Organic
Vinification: First picked near the end of August. Grapes were whole cluster pressend and settled overnight, fermented in stainless steel until dry. Tank was then chilled and SO2 added to arrest malolactic fermentation. (The wine went through Malo anyway) Left on the lees for 3 months and racked twice prior to bottling on Janurary 21st.
Our Take: Steve Edmunds has been in the natural wine game for over 30 years. He produces wines with energy and elegance, like a seasoned athlete. Sourcing from some beautiful vineyards all around California. The Bone-Jolly Gamay rose in particular comes from 2 sites, The Witters Vineyard at an elevation of 3400 ft. and the Barsotti Ranch Vineyard at 3000 ft. whose soils are similar to parts of Beaujolais and the Northern Rhone. The light skin contact at pressing makes for a very electric wine perfect for the springtime afternoons.
Producer Notes:
“2020 seems to have been a year that produced rosés somewhat lighter in color than previous vintages, though it didn’t seem that the grapes were deficient in pigment. Our Gamay rosé has a lovely light pink color, with just a whisper of blue at the edges. The aromas are pretty, fresh and ebullient; a gleeful mix of spice and fruit, very typical to this Gamay.
On the palate the entry is lovely, highly energetic layers of spice, pretty berry fruit, a savory highlight of pepper, and pulsing with firm, lively acidity. The finish is long, riveting, and thirst-provoking. For a wine that has been in the bottle so few days, this is really quite a pleasure; a few weeks of settling down in the bottle should have it singing nicely for your supper. (It reminds me, in its just-bottled state, of the 2017 Bone-Jolly Gamay Rosé, for balance and ebullience, its Jouissance! But it seems to have an extra dimension, which I’m inclined to attribute, at least in part, to the completion of the malolactic fermentation; there’s a savoury element there that provides a smattering of underlying gravitas. On the other hand, perhaps in a wine from a year like 2020 (or maybe every year), there is no jouissance sans gravitas.”
- Steve Edmunds
Vinedos Herrera Alvarado - Natural Bianco 2019
Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Marga Marga Valley, Chile
ABV: 11.5% ABV
Colour: Hazy Straw
Nose: Chamomile, Grass, Grapefruit Pith
Taste: Peach, Apple, Lemon
Farming: Organic
Vinification: 100% Own rooted vines and dry farmed. Fermented in concrete with two-days of skin contact. Racked into used barrels where it is aged for 12-15 months. Nothing added, nothing taken away.
Our Take: We were initially drawn to Vinedos Herrera Alvarado for their Pinot Noir that they age in cowhide (Very rad, very wild). We decided to explore his whites and were very excited to find his Sauvignon Blanc’s were delightful and full of character. The Natural Bianco being raw and evocative. It’s a great wine to drink slow and contemplate its evolution and perhaps your very own. The 2 days on the skins adds a beautiful textural experience, baked stone fruits and floral aromas. Always excited about whites from Chile. Pick up his other Sauv “La Zarada” and see this winemakers range.
Musical Pairing: Congregación - Arrebol
Producer Notes:
For Carolina Alvarado and Arturo Herrera, wine is the connection between nature and people. Founded in 2003, Herrera-Alvarado is considered the founder of the now-budding natural wine movement in Chile. Local peasant farmers, or Huasos, have always made wine for home consumption without any additives. After studying agriculture, Carolina and Arturo because very taken with these types of living wines and decided to devote themselves to making wine in this style. Winemaking in the Marga Marga valley, where their cellar is located, dates back to the 14th century. Through word of mouth, Carolina and Arturo learned from the many wine characters in the valley how to make wine in that old style. Perhaps the most unique part of traditional winemaking that they have adapted into their cellar is the use of cow leather for fermentation. Carolina and Arturo built their cellar themselves in the adobe style out of clay from their own vineyards. There is no electricity; everything is done by hand.
Herve Villemade - 2018 Gamay
Varietal: 100% Gamay
Region: Cheverny, Cour-Cheverney, Loire, France
ABV: 12%
Colour: Dark Garnet
Nose: Plum, Cherry, Raspberry, Violets
Taste: Blackberry, Strawberry, Pepper, Soil, tobacco
Farming: Certified Organic
Soil: Clay, Sx, Sand
Vinification: 20 - 30 year old vines. Hand harvested. No additions or subtraction. Aged 4 months in tapered wooden vats.
Our Take: Gamay from the valley of Chaverny made by one of our all time favs, Herve Villemade. Its a medium light wine with enough foundation to bridge day into night. Exuberant nose, juicy and earthy. This one seems to have extracted as much as it could from the light skins of Gamay. Crunchy texture, brambly fruits, pretty lusciously ripe. Serve this with a little chill and enjoy golden hour. Don’t ask me why but I felt like listening to Fatboy Slims- Weapon of choice while I drank this one.
Producer Notes: It was in 1939 that Désiré and Gilberte Villemade arrived at Moulin Neuf , a commune of cellettes, on a small mixed-crop-breeding farm. They have five boys, and it is Henri, the second, who will take over the operation in 1962, with his wife Monique. In almost 40 years, they develop and specialize their productions, from vines to breeding, including vegetables and cereals ... it was in 1976 that Henri began bottling to sell part of its live production. Then it was in 1999 that the brother and sister, Isabelle and Hervé, took over the estate and converted it to organic farming. The harvests become manual and the treatments only natural
Maitre De Chai - Herron Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2019
Varietal: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Sonoma Mountain, California
ABV: 12%
Colour: Dusky Goldenrod
Nose: Guava, Passionfruit, Tea, Honey, Peach
Taste: Apple, Pear, Lemongrass, Lime
Farming: Certified Organic
Vinification: Whole cluster foot tread in open top bins. On the skins for 16 days.
Our Take: Alex and Stephanie Pitts can often be seen walking there puppy to the shop since they have become Sacramento locals and we couldn’t be more stoked to be their neighbors. They produce their wines out of Berkeley just minutes away from the amtrak station (worth a visit to their new tasting room). Okay now onto the wine… What a gorgeous skin contact sauvignon blanc from a old vine, dry farmed vineyard out of Sonoma. Tropical and grassy on the nose. Bright acidity, slightly tea like tannin. I always enjoy wines like this at “River Temp” so I would say now that the days are longer and hotter go take this up on a hiking trip and chill it in the fresh snowmelt river of the sierra foothills.
Producer Notes: Planted in 1969, the Herron Vineyard is an acre and a half of Sauvignon Blanc on Sonoma Mountain. This dry-farmed vineyard is one of the oldest Sauvignon Blanc parcels in the United States. These beautiful old vines produce incredible fruit that we tend to, farm and pick ourselves by hand.
In 2014 (our first year working with the vineyard), we made the decision to take half of the fruit and make a skin fermented wine. At the time, Alex was the Assistant Winemaker at The Scholium Project, and their most popular wine, hands down, was 'Prince in his caves', a skin fermented Sauvignon Blanc from Sonoma Mountain. As an homage to Abe and to the great skin fermented wines of Northeast Italy, we decided to experiment with our small Sauvignon Blanc vineyard. The wine we made that year was outstanding but in the years between, whether it be the low yields or overall conditions, kept us from making another 'orange', or skin fermented, Sauvignon Blanc until this vintage.
Whole cluster, crushed by foot in open top bins and fermented at ambient Berkeley summer temperatures made for a rose-gold colored wine with the intense tropical fruit aromas we would expect. Immediately poured into the glass, it's Guava and Papaya seeds, but as the wine opens up, a brooding side of dried Herbs de Provence and Calvados take center stage. Five barrels produced. This wine will absolutely last decades.
