Bora Tier CMS Hedges Sauvignon Blanc Founded in Red Mountain, Washington, in 1989 by Tom and Anne-Marie Hedges, their daughter, Sarah, is now at the winemaking helm. After obtaining 3 degrees, including one in enology from Washington State University, she begin her journey as a winemaker, starting as an assistant winemaker at the family estate and working her way up. Working with the Bordeaux varieties planted by her father, this label of her wines are now regarded as some of the best affordable wines to come out of the region. While originally a Bordeaux varietal, Washington State Sauvignon Blancs tend to be more fruit forward with notes of grapefruit, lime, pineapple and a touch of herbal undertones. Compared to French sauvignon blancs that display more minerality, nuanced flavors and more prevalent notes of fresh cut grass. This Sauvignon Blanc is a versatile wine that pairs beautifully with a range of dishes. It is a natural companion to seafood, particularly oysters, prawns, and grilled fish. Its lively acidity and citrus flavors also make it a fantastic match for salads, light pasta dishes, and fresh goat cheese. Populis Reversée
Populis is an innovative and dynamic winery based in California that has gained recognition for its unique approach to winemaking. Founded by two friends, Diego Roig and Shaunt Oungoulian, Populis embraces a philosophy of minimal intervention and sustainability to produce wines that reflect the true expression of the vineyards and varietals they work with.
They seek out rare and overlooked grapes that showcase the diversity of California's viticultural landscape. By focusing on these unique varietals, such as Trousseau, Valdiguié, and Chenin Blanc, Populis brings a fresh perspective to the wine scene.
The Reversée is made with a technique they call the 'reverse saignée.' 1/2 of the grapes in this wine are pressed to rosé juice and added back to a tank of separate destemmed red grapes. This decreases the concentration and makes a lighter, snappier wine. A light red blend that is super juicy and fruity on the palette, with just a touch of tannins, this wine pairs perfectly with lighter meats and richer fish.
Co-ferments are a growing style of natural wine coming out of the West Coast. You can find several other of these types in The Breeze, including Wonderwerks Free Your Mind, and Ruth Lewandowski's 2022 Feints Carbonic Co-ferment Rosé. You can learn more about what the French method of saignée rosé wine making here.
Baccanti Campania Falanghina 2021
Baccanti Campania Falanghina 2021 is a white wine hailing from the Campania region in Italy. Made from the Falanghina grape, an indigenous variety to the area, this wine captures the essence of the region's terroir and showcases the unique qualities of the grape. Poggio Delle Baccanti has been making Neapolitan wines for three generations, near the volcanic ash soils of Mt Vesuvius. Campania is just south of the Lazio region (home to Rome). Both Falanghina and Fiano from this region are some of my favorite Italian white wines. As with all Italian wines, it is truly meant to be enjoyed the food from that same region. such spaghetti alle vongole (pasta with clams). seafood risotto, and just in time for summer, caprese salad.
Le Mistral Tier
Mother Rock Force Celeste
This 100% semillon from South Africa was brought in just for July Le Mistral club members. Mother Rock is a collaboration between winemaker Johan Meyer and Indigo founder Ben Henshaw.
Force Celeste is a natural wine from the Siebritskloof Valley in Swartland, South Africa. This region is known for intense 30 degree diurnal shifts, which forces the vines to struggle to adjust to the temperature swings each day. This results in grapes that are more concentrated and complex. Semillon from South Africa and this one in particular, boast notes of honeycomb and nuts with hints of tangerine and peach. Semillon grapes also yield a fuller body and ultra round/oily mouthfeel. Because of its high acidity and full body, semillon can stand up to more structured dishes than most white wines. Think pasta with cream sauce, goat cheese flatbread, grilled chicken. If you like this wine, try Spark!, a sparkling semillon from France
Raft 2020 Cavaillon Raft Wines was founded in 2016 by Jennifer Reichardt. Her family has raised ducks for Californian restaurants since 1901 and the name of this winery comes is meant to pay homage to the community acting as her raft and the other use of the word, a community of ducks. She is biodynamic winemaking star in Cali and all of her wines
Cavaillon is a bright orange melon, sharing a name with the town in southeast France where it is grown. The melon is known for its endless floral aromatics and rich flavor. The Raft Wine Cavaillon is a skin fermented Viognier, a dedication to the melon with it’s beautiful color, texture, and taste. The resulting wine has a beautiful balance of juniper, botanicals, jasmine tea against melon and peach fruit notes.
Chill this one down and drink it on it's own on the back porch or with a farmer's market salad with vinaigrette.
Herve Souhaut, Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet, La Souteronne
Hands down the best red wine I've had this year. Herve Souhaut has been making natural wines in the Rhone since 1993. He is very fortunate to own two vineyards in the Rhône Valley just opposite the storied hills of Hermitage in Saint Joseph. This region is widely recognized as being one of the finest areas for wine production on the planet; thanks in part to its elevation, ancient vineyard sites, and southeastern and southern exposures. In all of his wines, Hervé works entirely on whole grape bunches and semi-carbonic maceration. His philosophy is to extract a delicate balance of tannins from the grapes, to make a wine with subtlety and finesse. This stands in contrast to many of the storied wines of the Northern Rhone that are made with much more extraction of tannin, where they are designed to be practically undrinkable in their youth, as time is needed for them to soften and open up. Hervé prefers to make a wine that is drinkable right away, but his wines have such a fantastic level of purity and acidity, that the older bottles we have tasted have incredible potential to evolve into what we find to be one of the most spectacular natural wines in existence.
This style of Gamay is incredibly complex, yields great black cherry, fig jam and plum fruit notes and keeps you coming back for more. The granite soil evokes something very familiar and Beaujolais-like, while cloaked under the influence of the Northern Rhone, suggesting the more dark and bacon-y tendencies of Syrah from this area.
This is your prize out of this month's selections. Open it up with some friends and enjoy it all on it's own. Insider tip, this wine is importer Jenny & Francois. Anytime you see their label on the back of our bottles, you know it is a quality, naturally made wine. .
July wine club artist is Kacy Slone. Check out her works @kaceysloneart
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