In the glass, an appearance of Himalayan salt opens with a nose of gardenias and early harvested stone fruit. A fresh entry leads to a honeysuckle mousse with hints of peaches and cantaloupe encompassing a dry minerality. The finish is memorable with a slight brininess reminiscent of the Himalayan sea salt hue. Producer Information\n "In 2008 a friend of mine encouraged me to visit the Maury appellation in the South of France. He was excited about a specific vineyard he discovered in Maury and spoke of all of things I care about – old vines, interesting varietals, diverse soils, reliable and consistent temperatures and a place that had a compelling voice. This voyage of discovery was my first significant visit to France to better understand what many call the home of wine. It was the Maury appellation that caught the attention of my friend; an appellation bordering Spain that has flown under the radar for centuries. As I ventured from the vineyards of the north, to Maury in the south, I was stunned by this landscape and couldn’t help but think of the possibilities as I saw these old vines on valley floors, rolling hills and steep slopes. It was just before the 2008 harvest when I arrived at this special vineyard. I couldn’t believe what I saw upon entering the vineyard – schist and granite soils like nothing I had ever seen in California. How different yet how interesting. What effect would these soils have on the resulting fruit and wines from the surrounding 80-year-old Grenache, Syrah and Carginan vines? I fell in love with this land and the promises it held. I ended up buying this property in Maury, which now consists of 300 acres of vineyards. After numerous trips and vintages making compelling single vineyard wines from this estate, I began to venture north, east and west within France. From Bordeaux to Rhone, I saw incredible fruit from gifted sites. I began to wonder, what if I could blend old vine Syrah from the Rhone with old vine Grenache and Carginan from my vineyard in Maury. The thought quickly passed as I realized that was not allowed within AOC (appellation d’origine contrôlée) law and as such could not be labelled with a vintage and would be ‘relegated’ to a ‘table wine’ category. Although this was disappointing to me, I had to just let it be. But as time progressed, and our venture in Maury grew, I started to become more frustrated with the AOC laws and restraints on blending which I hold of utmost importance as a winemaker. Just after the 2010 harvest, while waiting with my friend curbside at the Charles de Gaulle airport, we began talking about wine. My frustration was evident as we discussed labelling laws in regards to vintage dating and cross-appellation blending. We joked about possibilities, imagining what if there were no rules. What if you could blend across appellations. What if you could produce a blend that represented France. What if there were no rules and how fun would it be to travel this country to find great growers with old vines while experiencing the culture and people of this place."
