Fall 2021 Newsletter
2017 CHRYSOS XLB
She spins, and she spins, and she spins with sprigs of lemon verbena adorning hergolden ringlets. Ever more intricately she spins, weaving her tapestry of quince and pear, a mesh of delicate honeydew and cantaloupe, a net to make the master fisherman papaya green with envy. Oh, how she spins barefoot upon the sand, alluring on the tippy tops of her sea salt dusted toes, luring in her ancient dance succulent scallops and little oysters, Kumamotos in fact. Her perfume is the clean crisp brine of the sea, with cherry plums aplenty upon the branches of her tree, and oh how she spins, bringing fruitfulness and plenty, her life a worldly circuitous and prolix path. Ahh if only she would stop spinning long enough to be caught in threads of saffron so fi ne; I would hold her with ceviche, in leche de tigre, on the central coast of Peru, or perhaps persuade her with paella and una caña in the Basque region of Spain.
notes by clay selkirk, winemaker & all-around cowboy
BLEND | 60% Viognier + 40% Roussanne
2018 GRENACHE
As the recent rains retreat, prismatic drops of liquid are left to adorn the deep-ribbed kalo leaves and pungent pikake flowers. Slowly, warmth returns, and along with it the pervasive aromas of the jungle, permeating sandalwood, followed by ripe papaya melding seamlessly to orange peel and finally into hibiscus. Now is the time. Seek out the rainbow. Breathe in deep of life’s incense and chow down on coffee cherry red ahi poke, for sunset arrives in a splash of colors to rival a bird of paradise, and with it, mouthwatering kalua pork so succulent and sweet, steamed sticky savory rice in banana leaves, and fresh scallops on the half shell. Nothing could be better than contentedly sinking one’s toes into the soft white sand of the beach, with a small volcanic pomace stone a convenient coaster for a refreshing after-dinner drink, and don’t neglect a hearty dollop of ube ice cream to finish it all off.
notes by clay selkirk, winemaker & all-around cowboy
VINEYARDS | 70% Kirk-Landry Vineyards + 30% St. Peter of Alcantara Vineyard
2017 PETITE SIRAH
A converse scene, the tranquil beast stands perfectly still beneath the falling snow. Beauty and power, a solitary bison, in one of the last remaining vestiges of the untouched American frontier, and a steaming volcanic wonderland, Yellowstone. Snowflakes collecting about its muzzle melt with each exhaled breath, like white pepper sprinkled on its cinnamon dark wool. The beast has the grit of ground acorn and is as gruff as camphor bark. Patiently it waits for warmer weather to come, for the blooming of lilac and lavender, for violet and trillium. Let your mouth water in anticipation of boysenberry, blueberry, meat and iodine, the slightly bloody beef of a spiced roast, jasmine tea, pumpkin and black cherry. This beast is more than it seems. Shifting its weight, it pivots and retreats, like a coy fish disappearing among lily pads, behind a sparkling white screen a previously unseen frozen drift. Will it reappear, was the stately beast ever really there?
notes by clay selkirk, winemaker & all-around cowboy
VINEYARDS | 100% St. Peter of Alcantara Vineyard Petite Sirah
nv PENTIMENTO '21 Bottling
He is the whisperer of the woods, Rip Van Winkle awakening after years lost to sleep. Much changed is the world, but the trees mind not, for they are ancient and mysterious sentinels, counting generations like the passing of the spring of our lives. Their roots stretch deep down, down into the ground, ever in search of life-giving water, their canopies shading, canvasing and cooling the forest floor in turn. We are drawn to the Sur, to camping in the redwoods, cedar, pine and spruce all dwarfed by their magnitude, the only sound the flow of trickling water over rocks smoothed by time. Thick-cut salami sizzles in a heavy cast iron pan, over naked coals and flame, oyster and lion’s mane mushrooms sautéed in the fat. Throw in blackberry and cassis, extra virgin olive oil and arugula, with a cup of gunpowder green tea steeping and steaming on nearby stone. The grove, like this wine, is mature, and yet again new, each circling of the sun bringing rejuvenation and subtle change. Where life reaches its end and returns softly to the earth, the seeds are sewn among the humble ferns, the cycle begins anew. It is ever changing, yet ever the same. Peace and tranquility radiate from the depths. Time slows, and our obsessions with its tracking ceases to be of import.
notes by clay selkirk, winemaker & all-around cowboy
BLEND | a solera style blend dating back to 1998
2017 LITTORAL
Somewhere in the Mediterranean, argent clouds blow across azure skies, rocky crags glimpsed at distance over a turquoise sea. Juicy baby, the cherry tomatoes I mean...but don’t forget to start with stuffed dolmas, follow those with fresh caught octopus baked in ink, garnish with orange blossom, sweet raspberry tobacco hookah, and of course, raki to finish. Splash a dollop on the cobblestone street and sprinkle your toes to honor and delight the Greek gods, for they are mischievous. Do not risk their anger at your failure to play. Make note, do keep a tally on your reedy papyrus pad, then work that ambrosial elixir around in the cavern of your mouth, tickle it with your tongue, make it pliant and soft as a fresh bay leaf, with a faint kick ofjalapeño. Then slurp, nay, gulp it down like éna glykó, as if it were your last, for life is short and fleeting. Luck may deign to grace you today, but Atropos, Clotho and Lachesis may have a different idea for your tomorrow.
notes by clay selkirk, winemaker & all-around cowboy
BLEND | 73% Malbec + 21% Cabernet Sauvignon + 6% Petite Verdot
2017 ZINFANDEL
Deep and rustic red, the crimson bark of a manzanita forest. Brambled and tangled with strawberry vines, surviving the strangling grasps of their heir apparent. Only to flaunt the dazzle of its insipient exit. Two young kids prance cheerfully among the cherries and chocolate of their candyland forest. Unbeknownst to them, darkness lurks in the shadows. A witch and she has ideas for these children. “Here little girl, have some raspberries and sweet candies, and oh little boy, I’ll drench the chocolate with cream!”Deluded by the sugar and quick to agree, they followed her in, where the nightmares begin. The mean old witch had visions of hot ovens and roasting that were much worse than sin. But the children escaped, by slipping her a glass of this Zin.
notes by thomas cherry, certified cellar rat
VINEYARDS | 65% Osgood Farms + 23% 4 Hearts Vineyard + 6% St. Peter of Alcantara + 6% Loma Seca Vineyard