March 2025 Wine Club
Madson Wines Chardonnay 2023
The vibe: Real OG clubbers will recall this isn’t our first Madson wine in the club. That cuvée was a Gamay Noir, which we included in last year’s October pickup. Recently, we tried more Madson wines and had the great pleasure of meeting winemaker Cole Thomas. Cole farms over 30 (!!) organic vineyards, across the Santa Cruz Mountains region and beyond. Every varietal imaginable, all ripening at different rates, with land requiring different methods of care. It’s no wonder he goes surfing in Mexico after harvest to chill out. Back to the bottle you’ve got chilling in the fridge. This Chardonnay is friggin’ awesome! It shows the cool, coastal terroir of the Santa Cruz Mountains with its freshness and bright, zesty acidity. It’s a masterfully blended expression of the many micro climates in this diverse region. Bright, flinty and saline are the notes here. More Chablis than California, this is one cool Chardonnay.
The winemaker: Winemaker and founder Cole Thomas worked as an organic vegetable farmer, edible landscaper, and manager of the Demeter Seed Library prior to his career in wine. He discovered natural winemaking techniques while working in New Zealand for Prophet’s Rock and Amisfield Winery in 2017. He returned to the Santa Cruz Mountains to launch Madison Wines in Spring 2018 and continues to follow natural winemaking techniques to make California wines that express terroir with poise and concentration.
The geeky details: From Cole: We produce Chardonnay at Madson by crushing the fruit to start and allowing 1 hour of skin maceration. We then press extremely gently to only extract the best juice from the berries and avoid harsh tannin and higher pressures. Our extraction yields are slightly lower to prioritize the quality of the juice. From here we move the juice to neutral oak barrels pre-fermentation. Multiple fermentations in the barrels result in added layers of flavor and complexity. Once the wine is dry, we top the barrels and age the wine sur-lie for 9 months. The following summer we move the wine to stainless for 2 additional months to re-tighten and finish elevage before bottling. Please expect some solids and tartrates in the bottle. Enjoy now or cellar 5-8 years for savoring at its peak.
Serve: Chilled.
Food pairing: Oysterssss, lobster rolls, tangy vinaigrettes and punchy, high acid cheeses.
Album pairing: Underground Canopy - Uncut Gems
Ram Cellars ‘Sparkle Pony’ Pét Nat 2023
The vibe: Ah, another favorite winemaker of ours! Vivianne Kennedy is an exceptional human and talented winemaker based in Portland, OR. And if you made it to this week’s tasting at Petite you understand why we always love having her over to share her wine! Just like Viv, her bottles have so much personality and verve! This Sparkle Pony is a riot, with tons of crunchy complexity, yet light enough to go down easy. Pro-tip, this is the ultimate pizza wine. Now that I’m thinking about it (hi, it’s Nick) I don’t think we’ve had a proper sparkling red in the club yet! Well take this as your sign that spring is around the corner and no one is stopping you from drinking like it’s 65 and sunny!
The winemaker: Viv launched RAM Cellars in 2014. She’s been making wine in the Pacific Northwest since 2012. She came into the light as herself and came out as a transgender woman in 2018. In 2019, she launched our VIV Label in an effort to raise funds for other queer and transgender folks through a $3 donation made per bottle sold. Viv loves making, sharing, and connecting over wine, as well as time with Aidan and their family pets.
The geeky details: 50% Cinsault, 30% Malbec, and 20% Counoise. Fermentation completed in bottle, à la Pétillant Naturel.
Serve: Chilled.
Food pairing: Pizza, obv. Anything with a cheesy, meaty, or smoked component is the name of the game here. Barbecue, charcuterie, baba ganoush, hell this would make a phenomenal dessert pairing. Drizzle a little Graza olive oil over your ice cream and sprankle some salt flakes? MMM.
Album pairing: Air - Moon Safari
Quinta de Santiago & Mira do Ó Minho Tinto 'Sou' 2021
The vibe: Red Vinho Verde! This Portuguese wine region is known for its light and refreshing white wines but Vinho Verde also produces some awesome light red wines. Typically these wines are a field blend of everything and the kitchen sink, including red and white varietals and can vary wildly in terms of quality. This bottle is the product of a collaboration between Quinta de Santiago and Mira do Ó, two rockstar winemakers drawn together for their love of rock music and obscure, nearly forgotten native red varietals. Sou (Son) is Portuguese for “I Am.” A joint project with Santiago (S) Nuno Mira do Ó (O) and rock & roll (think U-shaped hand gesture seen in the front row). A blend of white and red varietals farmed organically, this wine is both authentic and rebellious, and it definitely rocks.
The winemaker: A family winery since 1899, Quinta de Santiago in the heart of Vinho Verde is now in its fourth generation led by Joana Santiago. She and her family tend to the vineyards personally, ensuring all work is done manually and with ecologically responsible methods. The Santiago family farm was established in 1899, though it mainly produced olive oil, grains, meat and dairy. In 2009, at the insistence of the 86 year old matriarch, Mariazinha, they established a boutique winery focusing on small-production wines. Mariazhina’s granddaughter Joana now heads up the team at Quinta de Santiago. Like her grandmother, she’s dedicated to expressing their unique terroir through the lens of remarkable local varietal wines.
The geeky details: 70% Alvarelhão, with the remainder made up of Pedral, Borraçal, Cainho, Alvarinho & Vinhão. 40% whole cluster. 11 Months in used oak barrels on the lees. 12 Months in bottle.
Serve: With a light chill.
Food pairing: With its racy acidity, this makes a natural pairing for Portuguese-inspired seafood, pasta with crunchy, fresh tomatoes or a salad with a ton of tangy goat cheese.
Album pairing: Free Whenever - The Movement EP
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WHAT THE FUNK?!
Deux Punx De La Soif Orange 'L'inattendu' 2022
The vibe: Last month’s funky fourth bottle was a really fun orange wine from Slovenia. We’re staying on theme this month and sharing another really fun orange from a little closer to home. This is an absolutely bonkers blend of Chardonnay, Malvasia, Assyrtico, Picpoul, Bourboulenc and Semillon, and like a good cocktail recipe, each varietal serves a purpose in crafting the perfect blend of notes. We like to invert the bottle slightly to incorporate the lees and sediment at the bottom, though it’s totally personal preference! The lees, or spent yeast, bring an umami component to ride alongside the acid, subtle white florals, and citrus zest.
The winemaker: Deux Punx was founded by Dan Schaaf and Aaron Olson, two wine addicted ex-punks, in April of 2008. They utilize the facilities of Punk Dog Wineries, a shared space in the River East Neighborhood in Napa, which lends itself to the minimalist and experimental style of winemaking they capture in their wines. All of their wines are produced in the same manner – native fermentation, minimal so2, neutral oak, and ambient temperatures. Their philosophy is to let the raw materials from the vineyards express their true nature, embracing the differences between sites and vintages. Deux Punx believes wine is meant to be shared and enjoyed, not cellared and ignored. We can get down with that!
The geeky details: Chardonnay, Malvasia, Assyrtico, Picpoul, Bourboulenc, Semillon. Organic + gravel / loam soils at Wheeler Vineyards, volcanic soils/regenerative farming at the two vineyards; Malvasia, Assyrtiko. Bourboulenc, Semillon and Picpoul came in together and were crushed and co-fermented together on the skins with daily punch downs for roughly three weeks. The Chardonnay was crushed and also macerated on skins for 3 weeks. Both lots were aged in barrel for 7 months then blended 3 weeks prior to bottling.
Serve: With a chill.
Food pairing: With its orange creamsicle notes and soft tannins, this orange is surprisingly quite delicate. Pair it with light dishes like apps before your mains, or finish with it as a dessert pairing.
Album pairing: Cymande - Cymande
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EASYYYYY
Domaine De La Piffaudiere 'Mon Tout Rouge' 2022
The vibe: Pineau d’Aunis, y’all! How have we never had this grape in the club? That’s changing, we promise. While we’ve only had a handful of Pineau d’Aunis bottles in the shop, it’s quickly become one of our very favorite red varietals. Hailing from the Loire Valley, wines made from this varietal are wildly expressive for being so light. Also known as Chenin Noir, DNA testing has confirmed it is neither related to Pinot Noir noir Chenin. It actually gets its name from the French word “pin” and refers to the pine cone shape of the clusters. So what is it like? It’s sort of like if Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc had a baby, with the light, terroir-driven profile of Pinot and the lightly spicy, white-pepper-meets-bell-pepper notes Cab Franc is famous for. It’s so perfectly balanced, with its low tannins and easygoing chillable personality, with enough depth and nuance to keep you double-pouring glass after glass.
The winemaker: Olivier Bellanger grew up in Monthou sur Cher, a scant hour east of Tours in the center Loire. He obtained his agricultural diploma in 2000, and spent the next 8 years working for various domaines in the Loire, notably Philippe Tessier. In 2008 he got the opportunity to buy 6 hectares of vineyards in Thesée near his native village. He immediately converted them to organic farming. The land was affordable partly because there were no associated buildings, so it was only later that he secured a cellar. He vinifies in a friend’s winery where he rents space. He now farms about 10 hectares, and sells some fruit to other wineries to keep his cash flow reasonable. He is committed to local grapes and deplores the regulations that reward ripping up old vine native varieties that are not in fashion, or not allowed in the regional appellation. His own wines of course are a real labor of love. He’s still fine-tuning his blends and adapting to vintage conditions. The results are always exciting and convincing. And delicious.
The geeky details: Grapes are manually harvested to ensure healthy bunches, and only wild yeasts are used to ferment. In the cellar, he uses only fiberglass or big old wooden casks, no new oak here (yay!).
Serve: With a light chill.
Food pairing: Woooo, well. The bottle’s already gone. Probably heat up some leftovers and drink some water? Banh Mi would be an insane pairing, if you have some wine left.
Album pairing: Psychè - Psychè