Region: California
Grapes: 48% Cinsault, 29% Mourvedre, 23% Grenache
Alcohol: 13.5%
Notes on the Wine
It was only in 2019 that we finally managed to stumble upon a blend in which centenarian old vine lots of Mourvèdre, Cinsault & Grenache all contributed something to the whole, rendering, to our palates, a complete, seamless wine, without any one variety standing out to the point of being recognizable. We would like to think the 2022 artfully manages this trick with aplomb – the lifted, floating violaceous aromatics of 136 year-old vine Cinsault (pictured above at harvest ) echoing that floating, gossamer Rokurokubi nature, tethered to Earth by the Inugami wolf/dog spirit of 19th century Mourvèdre and a little Besson Grenache to add generosity, depth, and mid-palate texture. It is that very complementary interplay of textures and aromatics of these three different varieties from three very old dry-farmed vineyards that excite us in the Rokurokubi & Inugami.
Some of the most expressive wines of the 2022 vintage emerged from Contra Costa, brought in before the wicked heat hit in very late August. Perhaps not surprisingly, the highly condensed quality of the Little Big Block Mourvèdre this vintage rendered our usual starting point of 40% – 50% of it in the blend too obviously Mourvèdre-dominated, which informed our decision to let the Bechthold Cinsault take first chair for 2022.
Notes on the Producer
Alex Krause and John Locke founded Birichino in Santa Cruz in 2008. Drawing on a combined four decades making wine in California, France, Italy, and beyond, they are focused on attaining the perfect balance of perfume, poise, and puckishness. Sourcing from a number of carefully farmed, family-owned, own-rooted 19th and early 20th century vineyards (and a few from the late disco era) planted by and large in more moderate, marine-influenced climates, their preoccupation is to safeguard the quality and vibrance of their raw materials. Their preference is for minimal intervention, most often favoring native fermentations, employing stainless or neutral barrels, minimal racking and fining, and avoiding filtration altogether when possible. But most critically, their aim is to make delicious wines that give pleasure, revitalize, and revive.
