August 2021 | Red Club
Welcome to the August Red Club from MYSA Natural Wine!
A note from our founder:
This month we have some great wines from lesser known regions and a grape comparison across countries that I think you'll really enjoy!
Focusing on Syrah, you have the Rond Noir from France, the Sarel from South AFrica, and the Blackbyrd from Sonoma showing you very different versions of Syrah based wines ranging with some age to fresh and new!
Finally we're in Croatia for a lovely lighter red that's great for outdoor dining while we still can, so enjoy!
- Holly Berrigan, Founder, MYSA Natural Wine
- Sarel - Nomad Wines
- Babić - Piližota
- Rond Noirs - Les Vignes d'Olivier
- The Blackbyrd Sonoma Mountain Syrah - Purity Wine
- Wine Evaluation Sheet
Sarel - Nomad Wines
Elgin - South Africa
Description:
100% Syrah from South Africa! Spends 9 months in old oak French barrels before being blended and bottled. A very structured wine that's perfect for hanging out in your cellar for 5-7 years to experience notes of crisp fruit! Or if you prefer spicy, black pepper notes paired with dark fruits leave this wine in your cellar for 5-7 years! Crisp fruit when young and spicy, peppery, and dark fruits when aged!
Pairings: Burger, Roasted Food, Pork
Serving Instructions: 50°- 55°
About Nomad Wines
Negociant winery based in Elgin, South Africa and Mosel, Germany. Owned by Pieter Kruger and Kosie Van Der Merwe.
Babić - Piližota
Dalmatia - Croatia
Description:
Hand harvested and destemmed with 10 days on the skins in stainless steel tanks. Then moved to large neutral oak barrels. Dark fruit, berries, slightly gamey with strong acid and medium tannin.
Pairings: Lamb, Cheese Tray, BBQ
Serving Instructions: 50°- 55°
About Piližota
Ivica Piližota is a humble owner of a winery and vineyards in the inland locations surrounding the beautiful and historic town of Šibenik, in Central Dalmatia. Soil here is made up of mostly fertile red and brown top soil with finer brown clay stones, and a rugged and tough limestone foundation. The vineyard locations are on slopes or semi-slopes, with an altitude level of 50 to 300 meters above sea level. These vineyards see some of the warmer temperatures in Northern and Central Dalmatia, with interestingly cooler nights and constant salty breezes that whip around this hill and mountain crammed area. - Vinum USA
Rond Noirs - Les Vignes d'Olivier
Languedoc - France
Description:
Fresh and complex with low tannin. Medium in body while a slight hint of effervescence. Ends perfectly with a long juicy finish! Tastes of cherry, a touch of white pepper, minerals, and blueberry!
Pairings: Grilled Beef, Pasta, Veal
Serving Temperature: 50°- 55°
About Les Vignes d'Olivier
"Olivier Cohen is a young winemaker from the Languedoc in the area behind Montpellier called the Hérault. His domaine is called Les Vignes d’Olivier and he makes an absolutely stunning rose wine as well as a number of interesting red wines.
Olivier used to sell wine rather than make wine. He worked in Nice at the well-known natural wine bar La Part des Anges as well as nearby Vinivore. It was at these venues that he developed his passion for natural wine and he became determined to learn how to make his own.
He travelled to Corsica to work with stellar winemaker Antoine Arena. This was followed by stints at Domaine Valette (a leading winemaker in the Maçon), Frederick Rivaton in Roussillon and finally with the legendary Thierry Allemand in Cornas.
He finally started work in his own vineyard in 2013 in the Languedoc where he has several really interesting plots spread over different terroirs with different aspects.
His rose is the wine that initially turned heads in France and New York, but now his red wines are also gaining respect throughout the natural wine world."
The Blackbyrd Sonoma Mountain Syrah - Purity Wine
California - USA
Description:
Pairings: Grilled Meat, Aged Cheese, Lamb
Serving Temperature: 50°- 55°
About Purity Wine
"At about this time, I was running a wine program for a local Italian restaurant. My employer asked that I look for a wine for a private label he wanted to incorporate into our beverage program. In doing this, and dealing with all the inherent legal regulations, I began to see a path towards production. I started reading everything I could about the science of wine and began asking every winemaker who came into the restaurant how they did what they did.
By 2012, I was searching out a winemaking space and getting licensed. 2013 was my first year as a winemaker, and ever since, I’ve tried to build on the previous year’s experiences. As of 2016 all of the fruit I source is grown organically. Since 2017 I've been taking on leases to farming vineyards in places such as Calaveras, Mendocino, and Contra Costa Counties with the goal of someday having my own more permanent piece of land. Also, as of 2017, I've moved into a warehouse space in Richmond, CA where I've created a collective of natural winemakers, roughly 14 of us to date.
In 2018 I converted the office space at the front of the winery into a bar, The Study. I did this at the urging of our neighbors so they could have a place to hang out, but also selfishly, so that I could buy the wine of other producers to continue learning about what's going on in the business, craft, and art of natural wine.
2021 marks my eighth vintage making wine, and my passion has only gotten more intense. The wines continue to evolve and I've had the great fortune of being able to present them at some wonderful natural wine fairs such as RAW, Brumiare, and Third Coast Soif. - Purity Wine"
Wine Evaluation Sheet
Want to have some fun evaluating and taking note on your wine? Check out our natural wine tasting sheets we made special for the club!
