Sunday Sip: Decades of Unconditional Love from Mendocino County
There is something paradoxical about writing about wine because, in my experience, the wines most worthy of documentation are the ones that words fail to holistically describe. So was the case with both of the wines I opened from Post & Vine this month.
The 2018 Testa Vineyard Old Vine Field Blend was the first bottle opened at the end of an ordinarily long and boring Tuesday. My husband arrived home from a night of bartending and I offered him a glass. He declined, soon succumbing to “just a taste” of mine after a few minutes of observing my expressions after each sip. “Oh!”, he proclaimed, “that’s really good.” Soon we were nestled in the corner of our kitchen’s banquette, each with our own glass and the bottle quickly draining. I couldn’t help but think, “so this is what California wine is supposed to taste like”.
The wine, unadulterated by excessive ripeness, oak, or alcohol (which California has regrettably and somewhat wrongfully become known for), was bright and soft and alive. It reminded me of California’s namesake sunshine: substantial but never harsh. You could taste a decisively American character in the purity of the fruit, reflecting clearly where it was from instead of mimicking elsewhere. The sureness of its style exuded a certain twinkle-in-the-eye charm, that I have to assume is winemaker Rebekah’s careful touch.
There are tangible pieces of the past all around us: architecture, art, music, books, but my favorite will always be wine. Wines from old vines carry the unconditional love of each generation who tended to them through lifespans. You can follow the thread connecting each wine to its vines back through many decades until you reach the moment when the vines were planted with hopes & dreams for the future. Drinking the resulting wines will always feel like a celebration to me.
an epic old vine for your reference *(*❦ω❦)*:
✬ Specs ✬
22% Carignane, 45% Zinfandel, 33% Petite Sirah
60-year-old (average), head-trained vines
All grapes are hand harvested and co-fermented spontaneously in-tank, followed by skin maceration for 14 days. The wine ages for 18 months in neutral barrels prior to being bottled without fining or filtration.
Testa Vineyard, located in Mendocino County, is a certified Organic (CCOF certified) and Biodynamic (Demeter) site
Fun fact: Post & Vine owner & winemaker, Rebekah Wineburg, is also the winemaker at Quintessa, one of the most famous Napa Valley wineries, emblematic of the highest standards of farming and winemaking in the world.
click here to enjoy for yourself. not an ad, just a girl who wants to help you enjoy better wine made by better people.
xoxo,
Caroline