Donkey & Goat Dommen Vineyard Pinot Meunier 2023

The vibe: Pinot Meunier?? Isn’t that a champagne grape? That’s where you normally find it, where it lends its bright red fruit, albeit from direct-press white juice. This Pinot Meunier comes from one of the oldest continuously farmed areas in the Russian River Valley AVA and it is not a blanc de noir. This wine is most certainly red! The Dommen Family Vineyard has been in continuous production for over 100 years. Donkey & Goat, based in Berkeley, makes an elegant yet immediately drinkable expression with heaps of fresh, perfectly ripe fruit - a cascade of raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries and huckleberries.

The winemaker: Donkey & Goat is celebrated for being amongst a handful of pioneers in the natural wine community because in 2004 they were unique for their ecological principles driving decisions in both the vineyard and the cellar and ten years later for promoting transparency, being one of the first to list ingredients on their label. The founding winemakers spent a year with the inimitable Eric Texier in 2002 studying the art of crafting natural wines in the Rhone Valley before co-founding Donkey & Goat in 2004 in San Francisco.

The geeky details: 100% Pinot Meunier from Dommen Vineyard in Russian River at an elevation of 300ft. Wild yeast fermentation in wood vat for 14 days.

Serve: Cellar temp

Food pairing: Smoked brisket, cumin lamb ribs, berry pie.

Album pairing: Tim Bernardes - Mil Coisas Invisíveis