SO MUCH FUN!!!
Jean Bourdy Cremant du Jura Brut – 100% Chardonnay BIODYNAMIC
Jean-François Bourdy has been managing the historic Jura vineyards of Domaine Jean Bourdy since 1990. The history of this house, however, is amongst the longest commercial histories in any sector in any country: the Bourdy family became involved (through marriage) only in 1896, but Jean-François represents the 15th generation of family ownership stretching back to 1475.
The Bourdy family have an engrained understanding of their terroir after 550 years of winemaking tradition. They find themselves at the forefront of natural, hand-made winemaking: organic and, since 2006, biodynamic.
Kevin Notes – It took me nearly 12 months to find an outstanding sparkling wine for under $30 and finally found it with Jean Bourdy. In a blind tasting, you’d be thinking of Champagne at about $80. Hopefully, we can get the Rose soon as well. Cooper’s Price $24.99 3 Bottles Mix/Match $22.49
Salem Wine Co. Pinot Noir from Evening Land Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette, OR. 2021
About: Evening Land’s Seven Springs Vineyard is one of the oldest and most sought-after sites in the Willamette Valley. Al MacDonald planted the vines in 1984 next to the Douglas fir trees that surround the northern section of the property. The vineyard has always been dry-farmed and is positioned to capture the cold air from the Pacific that enters the valley through the Van Duzer Corridor, just to the north of the appellation. Rajat Parr and Sashi Moorman are two of the top names in the wine world today, and they recently obtained 100% control of the site. With their vigilant oversight and visionary stance on winemaking, the quality of these wines continues to elevate.
Salem Wine Co. is a secondary project from Evening Land sourcing from three vineyard sites across Eola-Amity including Seven Springs Vineyard. The wines are meant to be enjoyed young and sold affordably.
The Wine – This Salem Wine Co. Pinot Noir is sourced from three different vineyards in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA. It’s built around fruit from their biodynamically farmed Seven Springs Estate. All three vineyard sites are dry-farmed in volcanic soils. The wine ages for 15 months in neutral oak. It is a medium-bodied style of Pinot Noir with ripe flavors of strawberry and pomegranate. Practicing Biodynamic Farming Cooper’s Price $26.99 3 Bottles Mix/Match $24.29
Envínate, Albahra Garnacha Tintorera, Almansa, Spain 2021
Envínate (meaning ‘wine yourself’) is the brainchild of four friends who met while studying enology at the University of Miguel Hernández in Alicante. Their work is currently focused in exploring the ancient, Atlantic-infused terroirs of Extremadura, Ribeira Sacra, and the Canary Islands.
This wine is sourced from a single 40 year old vineyard that is divided into 3 parcels at 800 meters elevation in the Almansa region, around the town of Albacete. The grape is Garnacha Tintorera (or Alicante Bouchet), and the soils are chalky, clay-calcareous. The wine is wild yeast fermented with 50% whole grape clusters in 4500 liter cement vats, with soft punch down of the grapes and a short maceration of 7 days; then aged in cement for 8 months. The result is a remarkably fresh wine with subtle earthy dark fruit and bright acidity.
Kevin’s Notes – We’ve been buying this wine for 7yrs and this is the best yet! Cooper’s Price $26.99 3 Btls Mix/Match $24.29
Birichino Car Car Glou Glou Akashita 2021 – Old Vine Carignane Montague Vineyard, Lodi, CA
Birichino was established by Alex Krause and John Locke, two Bonny Doon veterans. Krause and Locke craft their wines with a light hand. These are lower-alcohol, food-friendly wines that have the clarity and lift to allow terroir to shine through.
The Label and Name Akashita is one of the creatures inhabiting a late Edo period scroll of yōkai- spirits, phantasms, and fantastic beings. It appears in dark clouds as either a protective spirit or menacing omen.
The Wine – The wine is Old Vine Carignane from the late President Hoover period. It’s vinified via carbonic macération (most famously employed in Beaujolais) and fermented with native yeasts, and bottled without fining or filtration. “Glou glou” denotes and onomatopoeically implies a wine to be consumed as the “glug glug” echoes from the throat, with one’s monster mouth open wide. Only 13 barrels produced.
Kevin’s Notes – Any time I get a chance to taste Birichino wines I get goose bumps! This is a startling wine for the beginning with its Japanese monster “Akashita” on the label and then you pour it and BAM…fresh black fruit aromas ignite the glass with deep, yet bright purple hues. The wine immediately blown away with violets, rose pedals, as brambly black fruit lifts from glass. The flavors are big, but delicate from carbonic maceration. It’s fantastic fun in the mouth and is my new favorite. It will not last long. The wholesaler only has 15 cases and we bought 6 cases. Cooper’s Price $27.99 3 Btls Mix/Match $25.19
