Welcome to the March 12 Bottle Club from MYSA Natural Wine! 

A note from our founder:

This is a really FUN group for start of summer! From two versions of piquette to multiple rose options, to liter orange wines, to the most expensive bottle we've ever been able to fit into the club you have a lot to work with this month! Beyond getting the unbelievable Sanctus in here this month, I was stoked to also have 2 classic DOCG and AOP wines to mix it up from the typical natty scene. Enjoy and let us know what you think!

- Holly, founder MYSA Natural Wine

GULP Orange - Bodegas Parra Jimenez

La Mancha - Spain 

Description: 

Our first ever liter bottle of orange wine in a club! It really is the perfect fit for this type of season. Half Verdejo, half Sauvignon Blanc which is super traditional for this region. But it's not as traditional to have it with skin contact! Spent time on the skins for 5-7 days in 200L clay vessels and 4,000L used French oak vats with daily pump-overs. On the nose, grapefruit, citrus notes, it also has a little bit of herbaceousness to it. Refreshing and vibrant. The Sauvignon Blanc plays like first fiddle on the nose, the Verdejo really comes out more on the palate. The mouth feel is round and it has a great amount of texture. This wine definitely has a great tannic structure. You can really feel it coating your entire mouth and the finish is long. Notes of lychee, orange, floral, stone fruit, and peach. Extremely gulpable! Pairing wise, pork chops is the first thing that comes to mind, cheese, or even a board with hummus and tzatziki.

Pairings: Fish Tacos, Grilled Shrimp, Tapas

Serving Temperature: 48°- 52°

About Bodegas Parra Jimenez

We make wines with love, using our local traditions wedded to the latest technology. Our wines express the purity and beauty of our country. They are 100 percent honest. Made in Central Spain by a family with a deep history in viticulture, our wines are easy to drink yet filled with complex flavors. In a variety of styles, we bring them to you from the largest NOP-certified Organic vineyard in Europe. - Francisco Parra

Sancerre Blanc - Francois Le Saint

Loire Valley - France 

Sancerre! So fun to have this one in the club as it is quite rare to find in the Natural Wine world! Slightly gold in color. Fresh, soft aromatics of candied lemon, petrol, green apples, citrus zest, and ripe pear. Candied lemon, and lime zest on the palate. Medium body and bright acidity combined with a long finish on the palate. An impressive, food-friendly Sauv Blanc! Try with lunch food like salad, a prosciutto sandwich, or a bean pasta with kale. 

Pairings: Spicy Food, Goat Cheese, Shellfish

Serving Temperature: 48°-52°

About Francois Le Saint

Established in 1749 in the heart of Sancerre, Domaine Fouassier is one of the oldest wine growing families in the Loire Valley with a history that spans several generations. For centuries they have dedicated themselves to preserving and capturing the terroir and the noble Sauvignon grape varietal through an extensive range of appellation wines.

The Fouassier family’s rich winemaking history included Jules Fouassier, a very influential grape grower during the Phylloxera epidemic of the late 19th century. He was the first to utilize copper and sulphur on vines to combat disease, and also single-handedly planted the famous Clos Paradis vineyard in 1902. Jules eldest son, Gustave, won fame by participating in and winning a wine competition in Paris during the summer of 1923. At that time, the rest of France was unfamiliar with the wines of Sancerre, so this victory proved invaluable for showcasing the potential of the region. The newer parts of the winery were built in 1972 when the old cellars – dating back to the 16th century – became too small to accommodate expanding estate holdings. That same year, the Domaine changed their philosophy concerning the vinification process, as they strived to combine the best traditional practices with more modern techniques. - Francois Le Saint

Field Blend Cab Franc - Constant Crush

Oregon - USA

Surprise! We have Bree with us this month to chat about the Field Blend Cab Franc by Constant Crush! One of the first Cab Francs from the Willamette Valley! A cool climate, young, juicy, and lively Cab Franc. 100% whole-cluster fermentation for eight days. On the palate, fresh red fruit, hints of spice, and very gentle tannin. Try chilling before tasting for optimal pleasure! Pair with a BLT, charcuterie, mozzarella salad with balsamic, or lamb. 

Pairings: Portobello Mushrooms, Soft Cheese, Pork

Serving Temperature: 50°- 55° 

About Constant Crush

Stix and Bugs White - Sanctum

Primorje - Slovenia  

For a refresher, Piquette is basically taking the grapes that have already been pressed, adding water to them, letting it sit for another couple of weeks, then re-pressing it and letting it re-ferment. This normally gives it a low abv! Mainly made from Chardonnay. Casual yet exciting! A bit fizzy. On the nose, this Piquette gives off notes of light fruits such as pear and a teensy bit of stone fruit! Lime zest on the palate with some yeasty and funkiness. The perfect low alcohol sparkler for a sunny day with friends. Picnic food is perfect for this one!

Pairings: Summer Salads, Picnics, Shellfish

Serving Temperature: 42°- 48° 

About Sanctum

In the mid-12th century French Carthusian monks settled in this northeast region of Slovenia and planted it with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines. The Podkubovšek family, starting with Vlado and his son, Marko, has always cherished and been proud of this local heritage, hence the fact that all of their wines are made in a traditional style, where the vines and the microclimate speak for themselves. All of the grapes are strictly hand-picked on steep marl-rich slopes of up to 45°, and vinified with minimal intervention in the winemaking process. - Sanctum

Sanctus - Domaine de l'Ecu

Loire Valley - France 

Hand-harvested and aged for 9 months on skins in 350-liter amphora. Dark and deep in color. A lot happening on the nose such as red cherry, earth, and forest floor. A strong presence of underripe strawberries, deep notes of darker cherry, savory meaty notes, herbs, and finishes with a non-sweet cherry pie cherry on the palate! Very complex. Much darker and funkier than your regular Gamay! Try slightly chilled with pork loin, cream sauce, and broccoli. 

Pairings: Game, Cured Meat, Aged Cheese

Serving Temperature: 50°- 55° 

About Domaine de l'Ecu 

"At a time when modern oenology is triumphing (good or bad, it's up to you), we often tend to forget that a great wine is conceived above all in the vineyard: plowing the soil, controlled yields, disbudding, splitting, manual harvesting and respect for the biotope.

Avant-garde, the Domaine de l'Ecu has been certified in organic farming since 1975 and in biodynamics since 1998 (Demeter) on all of its 24 hectares. We have also been Biodyvin certified since 2014.
We have given up all technological artifice in the cellar to break with the wine standardization movement and preserve the link uniting each of our cuvées with a terroir and a vintage.

Yeasting, enzyming, thermo-vinification, flash relaxation, reverse osmosis and other processes tending to standardize wines and the production of soulless wines are not allowed to be mentioned in our cellars.

Our wines are without added So2 or minimum sulphites, by conviction, with So2 levels of around 30/40 mg / L, i.e. more than 2 times less than the threshold authorized by the Demeter standard (90 mg / L) which It wants to be itself already very restrictive vis-a-vis the organic standard (150 mg / L) and the European standard (210 mg / L and there is no typing error…).

Obviously, but we wanted to remember it here: we make wines, real wines without frills or outrageous make-up!

As such, we are proud to be part of the “Renaissance des Appellations” and “Biodyvin” Biodynamic winegrowers' groups who both advocate this respect for the terroir and this search for pure wine, without make-up or deception ...
Our terroir cuvées are today present on the most beautiful tables in the world.

From Noma (best restaurant in the world) to Bernardin in NY (3 ***) or Astrance in Paris (3 ***), the chefs trust us and put our wines in the spotlight. No need to be starred to work well, so you will find our wines in many gourmet and bistro restaurants held by chefs in love with local products and attached to quality products.

No need to look for our wines in supermarkets either, we refuse to use these distribution channels dedicated to mass wines, contrary to our working philosophy ... You will therefore find our wines all over France in wine merchants. passionate, in love with the dive bottle and able to bring you THE advice that will allow you to leave with THE bottle that will give you pleasure.

The circle is complete. - Domaine de L'Ecru"

Pacific Potion - Supernatural Wine Co.

Hawke's Bay - New Zealand

Description:
A perfect representation of Hawke's Bay. This wine boasts complexity and high acidity. Lime zest and petrol when first taking a sniff. Nice acidity. Grapefruit, tropical fruits, lime zest, and hints of petrol linger on the palate. Fun Fact: this wine was originally produced for exclusive use in the airline KLM's business class cabin as part of their in-flight organic wine conference! Try with salad, light fish, ceviche with mango, or even pork.

Pairings: Seafood, Lemon Chicken, Creamy Pasta

Serving Temperature: 48°- 52° 

About Supernatural Wine Co.

We met Supernatural Wine Co. via their US importer Whanau and are very excited to carry their skin contact wines! They are a producer of certified organic, naturally vinified, low sulphur white and skin-fermented white wines from a north-facing hillside estate in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. In their own words: "Our philosophy relies on great terroir and traditional processes. We aim to make all of our wines as naturally as possible in order to produce true terroir driven wines.

We dry farm our vineyard, we use indigenous yeast gathered from our vineyard for fermentation and we add nothing to our wines other than a little sulphur before bottling. We do not fine our wines and we have not filtered our skin-fermented wines from the 2015 vintage onwards. We want to focus on producing dry aromatic and skin-fermented white wines in a very clean and direct style.
- Supernatural Wine Co.

Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo Anfora - Cirelli

Abruzzo - Italy

Description:

Amfora made light red, or rose wine with 6 hours of skin contact, giving it is almost salmon looking color. Bursting strawberries on the nose, herbs, oregano, and a nice salinity. Similar notes on the palate but starts off savory and finishes lighter, extracted cherries, with a acidic tomato flare! Chill the heck outta this one! Have with grilled halloumi and watermelon. 

Pairings: Barbecue, Pizza, Heavier Seafood

Serving Temperature: 48°-52° 

About Cirelli

With 23 hectares, all of their production is designed to respect the natural cycles of the olive trees, vineyards, horticultural crops and the animal breeding. Crop rotation, natural fertilization, and free range animal grazing are Agricola Cirelli’s “techniques” of production.

Chianti - Cosimo Maria Masini

Chianti - Italy

Description:

A lovely, very classic Chianti yet yummy and a great price point. Ruby in color. Medicinal cherry, floral, and a touch of umami on the nose. Round flavor profile, lovely acidic backbone, and fantastic with a medium bodied structure. A beautiful expression of its terroir that pairs perfectly with traditional Tuscan food.

Pairings: Pasta, Pork, Chicken

Serving Instructions: 48°- 52° 

About Cosimo Maria Masini

Cosimo Maria Masini lies in the hills of San Minato, located in the province of Pisa and in the heart of Tuscany. An ancient medieval village found along the historical Via Francigena, San Miniato is famous for wine and world-renowned white truffle. In this area, viticulture has ancient origins with a history of more than 2 thousand years. Our winery extends for 40 hectares (100 acres) on a single hill cultivated with vines, olive orchards and other crops. Villa la Selva, the heart of the estate, is an ancient residence that belonged to the Buonaparte Family. It was later purchased by Marchese Cosimo Ridolfi, a famous agronomist of the time, who, during the mid 1800’s constructed the winery (which is still used today) and began to work the vineyards with innovative techniques of the time. - Cosimo Maria Masini

Rosé - Populis 

California - USA  

Produced by two guys up in Northern California that are making some REALLY fun wine! It's a rosé with a twist! Mostly red with Carignan and Zin, but then 5% Muscat with skin contact was added, giving extra aromatics and lovely stone-fruit character. A lot going on in this wine. Salmon in color. On the nose, so much happening, fruity, savory, strawberries, cherries, violets, and blossom. Very savory on the palate, berries still present, lemon, and a touch of meatiness. This is a delightful glou glou bottle or will go well with lots of delicate foods. Or if you want to turn it up a notch, try with kebab, french fries, or even chicken nuggets would be so tasty with this wine! Enjoy!

Pairings: Hard Cheese, Summer Salad, Seafood

Serving Temperature: 45°- 50° 

About Populis 

"Populis Wine is a collective effort between two friends producing wines that are fun and straight-up crushable. The collective was born when Shaunt and Diego returned to California from apprenticeships abroad and realized that there was/is a huge void to fill when it comes to finding USA wines made naturally from organically grown grapes. California is known for its healthy and progressive food and farming scene—it’s about time that the wines followed suit!

Diego Roig: Diego was practically born with a glass of wine in his hands. Raised in California by a family of grape growers and winemakers (with roots dating prior to Prohibition), it was not uncommon to hear him ask for wine (watered back, of course!) at the dinner table. His parents regularly obliged and a career in the wine industry was born. Fast forward to now, and he has had the opportunity to learn from Bob Cabral (Williams-Selyem), Vanessa Wong (Peay Vineyards), Andy Walker (UC Davis), Kevin Fontaine (Charles Joguet, Chinon, France), Colin Ross (Seresin, Marlborough, NZ), Didier Barral (Domaine Léon Barral, Faugères, France), Giusto Occhipinti (COS, Sicily) and Philippe Valette (Domaine Valette, Macon, Burgundy), among others. These experiences and countless days spent tending vineyards and tasting wines from all over the world (this time, sans water) have helped shape his belief that the best wines come from soils and vineyards farmed without synthetic chemicals and with the utmost respect paid to nature. Furthermore, grapes grown in these vineyards have no need for commercial yeast strains or chemical additives to manipulate flavor other than the smallest amount of sulfur to protect them during bottling, ensuring the truest expression of place and time.

Shaunt Oungoulian: During Shaunt Oungoulian's first vintage working in the Anderson Valley of Mendocino County, he observed and reflected upon the innumerable biological and chemical processes occurring within each tank, barrel, bottle, and glass and was drawn into the world of wine. In order to deepen his understanding of this churning world beneath the surface, Shaunt decided to enroll in UC Davis’s Viticulture and Enology program. While studying UC Davis, a few classmates introduced him to a number of ‘natural’ wines that had a huge influence on his tastes and goals as a winemaker. Shaunt began to contextualize his research and coursework through a non-interventionist lens and found this approach to be much more intellectually satisfying and fulfilling. After graduating Davis, Shaunt left for France to pursue this reductive style of winemaking with various apprenticeships. He was fortunate to work under Philippe Valette in Mâcon and Julie Balagny in Fleurie. Both of these vignerons are extremely technically knowledgeable, but remain fiercely non-interventionist in their cellars and vineyards. They demonstrated to him that in order to make truly expressive wines, one must be able to embrace tradition and innovation at once, a lesson that continues to guide Shaunt's winemaking/winegrowing philosophy to this day."

Cuvée EWC Piquette - Wild Arc

New York - USA

Wild Arc has arguably put Piquette on the map in the last couple of years. Made from the leftover pulp of crushed grapes that are re-fermented in bottle. This Piquette is fun, juicy, and eccentric. On the nose, herbaceous, a berry bonanza, and some tarragon. Funky and deep with notes of non sweet gusher, more berries, and floral. A great finish. The perfect wine for warmer days! Pair with grilled food on a warm beach or when chilling in your garden!

Pairings: Heavier Fish, Picnic Food, Seafood

Serving Instructions: 45°- 50° 

About Wild Arc

Todd and Crystal left Brooklyn in the Summer of 2016 after a combined 30 years in the city to try their hand at building sustainable food systems in the Hudson Valley.

Both had very limited experience in agriculture, mostly relegated to growing tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and hops on fire escapes (when the neighborhood squirrels didn't kill everything out of spite.) Being lifetime New Yorkers, they wanted to show that interesting and dynamic wines could be grown in the Hudson Valley in the context of a small, Biodynamic, permaculture-focused farm. - Wild Arc

Maryjane Madeline - Emme Wines

California - USA

Strawberry starbursts, blueberry, tart red cherry, and cotton candy on the nose. Bright acidity up front, but with a fruity, fleshed out mid palate. Notes of juciy berry such as cherry, cranberry, herbs, gushers, and candied grape. Definitely slightly chill this one! Refreshing minerality on the back palate and a long, textured finish. Pair with a mezze platter, roasted chicken, grilled meats, junk foods, pizza, or chicken nuggets!

Pairings: Cheese Plate, Grilled Meat, Roasted Peppers

Serving Temperature: 48°- 52°

About Emme Wines

My name is Rosalind, and I farm grapes organically and make wine without additives.

I work within a likeminded community of grape-growers and winemakers in Northern California. 2018 marked the first year I set out to create something of my own, albeit with the welcome support of the talented people who surround me.

Wine, at its core, is about community. Countless hands are involved in every glass you drink – the growers who planted cuttings three generations ago; the field workers who prune the vines in winter, tend them throughout the year and pick the grapes come autumn; the winemakers and interns who footstomp those grapes, forklift bins of fermenting fruit from tank to press, and fill barrels with wine to rest before bottling; and the distributors, restaurateurs, and sommeliers who help bring that bottle to you. An incredible amount of labor and love goes into filling a glass with wine, and I am constantly reminded of and grateful for the community who makes all of it possible. I could not do this alone, nor would I want to.

Similarly, at the end of the day, wine should be enjoyed with your own community of friends and family. I aim to make fresh, bright wines that taste good, encourage thoughtful discussion, and ultimately bring people together.

rosalind reynolds - Emme Wines

Rosado - Onda Brava

Itata Valley - Chile

From grapes grown on 200-year old ungrafted and unirrigated vines in Chile. A bit salmon in color. On the nose, a bit savory with some baking spices like oregano and strawberry roll-up. Tart with great acidic structure on the palate. Flavors of blueberries and plum. Really nice long finish. Medium in body, high acidity and very drinkable. Order pizza to pair with this wine, or maybe try some chicken tendies out on the lawn. Grilled salmon with asparagus could also be an option! 

Pairings: Fish, Tapas, Grilled Vegetables

Serving Temperature: 48°- 52° 

About Onda Brava 

Since 2013, I’ve been fortunate to spend a significant amount of time producing wines in Itata, Chile. Together with Leo Erazo and our friends and families, we’ve been exploring and furthering our understanding of the ancient own-rooted and unirrigated bush vines of the Itata hills. The resulting projects are Onda Brava and A Los Viñateros Bravos. - Onda Brava

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!