2016 Anthesis Picpoul Blanc, Alder Springs Vineyard, Mendocino County

Tasting Notes

Great America International Wine Competition – Bronze Medal
This all-natural wine was made in an old-world style with open-top fermentation vessels, 50% whole cluster, but 100% whole berry incorporating a spontaneous fermentation. Meaning 50% of the grapes are destemmed, leaving the berries whole without being crushed. The skin contact during maceration and fermentation was a few weeks long, promoting the typical amber color extraction from terpenes and aroma increase from the abundance of polyphenols. The grapes were picked at 21% sugars with a bold acidity at the end of October. Aged in 100% French new oak for 6 months it is very approachable and easy to drink.

Unfiltered and unfined this fruit comes from a consciously cultured vineyard, grown with minimal interventions, once in the cellar, we gently crush with our feet leaving the seeds intact and releasing only the juice out of the berries. Instead of sulfites, we use a bit of help from CO2 to protect it from oxidation. This fruit embraces Sandro’s origins of making wine the old way, "ala vecia”.

The 2016 Anthesis Picpoul Blanc is one of our exclusive single vineyard designate wines with only 100 cases produced for our special visitors and wine club members.

Specs

• Unfiltered and unfined
• 100% Picpoul Blanc
• Appellation: Mendocino County
• Vineyard: Alder Springs Vineyard
• Alcohol: 13%
• Winemaking style produces a high amount of sediment

2016 Anthesis Falanghina, Alder Springs Vineyard, Mendocino County

Tasting Notes

Great America International Wine Competition – Silver Medal
Located in the Northern part of Mendocino County, at 2200 feet of altitude grows the Falanghina. This site promotes ripeness of the fruit, yet maintains a lower sugar concentration with an excellent expression of acidity and minerality. This is a traditional white aromatic southern Italian variety grown around Vesuvius for thousands of years. Picked at the end of October with 22% sugars, great acidity, and low pHs, allowing for plenty of hang time rounding off tannin. Bringing back his grandfather’s winemaking style, this wine was 100% whole cluster and went through an extended maceration on the skin, with spontaneous fermentation. This style of winemaking promotes the extraction of terpenes and polyphenols from the skins of this amazing white grape, hence the orange color. Aged for 12 months in 100% French oak 500-liter puncheons.

Unfiltered and unfined this fruit comes from a consciously cultured vineyard, grown with minimal interventions, once in the cellar, 100% whole berry maceration takes place, with a bit of help from CO2 to protect it from oxidation, this fruit embraced a spontaneous fermentation, that follows an old-world winemaking approach by letting the fruit speak for itself, "ala vecia”.

The 2016 Anthesis Falanghina is one of our exclusive single vineyard designate wines with only 75 cases produced for our special visitors and wine club members.

Specs

• Unfiltered and unfined
• 100% Falanghina
• Appellation: Mendocino County
• Vineyard: Alder Springs Vineyard
• Alcohol: 12.5%
• Winemaking style produces a high amount of sediment

What’s Included

2-bottles:

• 1x 2016 Anthesis Picpoul Blanc, Alder Springs Vineyard, Mendocino County
• 1x 2016 Anthesis Falanghina, Alder Springs Vineyard, Mendocino County

Case:

• 6x 2016 Anthesis Picpoul Blanc, Alder Springs Vineyard, Mendocino County
• 6x 2016 Anthesis Falanghina, Alder Springs Vineyard, Mendocino County

Price Comparison

Not for sale online, $660/case MSRP

About The Winery

Anthesis Wines is D’Argenzio Winery’s sister label. Owner/Winemaker Sandro Taburin and his wife Breanna (daughter of Ray D’Argenzio) are the founders and owners. Winemaker Sandro Tamburin’s passion for viticulture and fermentation has always been a part of him. He grew up in the vineyards of Trieste, Northeastern Italy, and took his memories of his grandfather cane pruning their estate vineyard with him when he came to America when he was 17 years old. Sandro strives to make his wine in the old way, “Alla Vecia”, where they leave the skin in contact with the juice for a prolonged period of time.

Single Vineyard Designates

Not only are all of our wines single vineyard and single block designate, but they are a true expression of passion – hand-crafted and unique. Expressing a true sense of site of the vineyard and the climate around it.

Winemaker Sandro Tamburin

Sandro’s winemaking career started when he was a child with his grandfather, making orange wines in the small Italian region of Istria, on the Italian-Croatian border, where he was raised. He ventured from his home to the states when he was 17 years old, to study abroad and created a full life. In Texas, Sandro developed a career in the restaurant business and through the interaction of wine brand representatives, his desire to reconnect to his roots grew stronger. He decided to pursue a winemaking career, so he moved to California where he started over and studied viticulture and enology.

Post university, Sandro took advantage of some great opportunities and worked at J cellars making sparkling and he also interned at Grigich, Paul Hobbs, Mondavi; and, traveled to Argentina and New Zealand to further widen his winemaking experience. As the passion for winemaking grew stronger Sandro understood that sustainable agriculture and local food would be the way of the future, where sustainable cultural practices were the only way of caring for the land and local food was just that, provisions from around the corner, as he grew up learning.

Anthesis is the physiological flower set of a plant and a very important aspect of farming, it is the symbol of birth and life, and an analogy to the circle that embraces his origins.

Available States

AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IN, IA, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TX, VT, VA, WA, WI, WY

Estimated Delivery

Thursday, Apr 7 - Monday, Apr 11

Anthesis Orange Wine
2 bottles for $59.99 $30/bottle + $4/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $279.99 $23.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping

Anthesis Wines “Alla Vecia” 2016 Picpoul Blanc
Alder Springs Vineyard
Mendocino County

Very excited to get the email from Alice (thank you!) and eagerly awaited the UPS truck. Ripping open the box, I thought, it’s a red – heavy green bottle – must be. Nope, after seeing the label and “Picpoul Blanc”, it must be a white. Running to the internet, I found I was wrong again – it’s an orange wine. Wow – I’ve never had an orange wine, so I searched further as to what I should expect. Turns out that’s all wrong too – it’s really about the grape. Piquepoul Blanc is a lesser known Rhône varietal, native to Languedoc in Southern France; the name literally translates to “lip stinger”. Picpoul Blanc has been grown in California for about 20 years.

We enjoyed the wine over two nights. The wine has a lovely orange hue, and it’s cloudy in the glass. On the first pop and pour, we had trouble discerning any distinct aromas – I had let it sit a few hours before opening – but that UPS truck was really cold. Once it warmed up a bit, I detected some pear and spice – possibly cardamom. On the palate the wine was dry and I was hit with that bright acidity that’s characteristic of this grape. Definitely some citrus and a long finish. We had picked up a barbecue platter for dinner – the flavor didn’t diminish with the pork or ribs, so it was a decent pairing.

The next evening we had two additional tasters in the house and paired the wine with some Manchego and Drunken Goat cheese, followed by a spicy and buttery lemon shrimp pasta. I really liked the wine with both cheeses – the acid muted a bit and was complementary to the richness of the cheese. My daughter identified honey on the nose and grapefruit on the palate, as well as some earthiness. I tasted some lemon this time around. My nephew who is a non-wine drinker said he found the wine to be very approachable and liked that it wasn’t sweet and wasn’t too dry. I had half a glass left for the pasta – not an ideal pairing. The wine’s acidity cut through the butteryness of the shrimp, which was great, but was overwhelmed by the spiciness of the pasta. I’d avoid pairing with very spicy foods.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with an orange wine, so I was pleasantly surprised. I’m up for snagging a couple of bottles with this offer; I liked the wine, for the novelty of the color and because it was an easy drinker. Thanks again to Alice and to Casemates for the opportunity!

I am in. Dammit no idea where I am going to put it

Labrat checking in!

2016 Anthesis Falanghina, Alder Springs Vineyard, Mendocino County

So thrilled to receive the golden ticket once again. I must say I was confused and needed to google falanghina to confirm that was the grape and not some other name or title.
The wine arrived cold, but I popped it in the fridge to stay chilled prior to dinner.

Pop and pour had me super nervous… very dark yellow, orange really… and a bit hazy.

I try not to check the online reviews and info so I can stay unbias, but this was a puzzle that needed solving. Double checked the year, and it’s only 6 years old. This IS an orange wine, and I’ve had the privilege of drinking a couple before. It is also unfiltered, so the slight haze isn’t as concerning. All of which to say, I still have no experience with this grape, and am not sure that I can give it its due.

But, I must soldier on, so here goes.
It was definitely too cold straight from the fridge and a quick pour. It had next to nothing on the nose, was hazy (as mentioned), though did show some legs leading me to expect a bit more viscosity on the palate. Really, next to nothing. This definitely doesn’t present well fridge-temp cold.

We waited a good 10-15 minutes to let the wine sit in the glass, warm and perhaps open up some. Even after that amount of time, and the wine at 57(ish) degrees, I’m only getting very light stone fruit on the nose and some mineral. It is light-medium body and very bright acidity. Mostly it still tastes a bit watery. Very brief white peach or apricot flavors break through the acid. Almost wine cooler flavors without the sweetness. It was paired with an egg and potato-casserole, which was maybe not the best pairing. The huge acid makes me want to pair much more with some stronger cheese or fattier dish. Definitely better at cellar temp, but still seems like it’s maybe lost some of the flavors it had during its earlier years.

At 65 degrees and above, this was a wreck that I wouldn’t recommend. Everything seemed out of whack, from the (still) lack of anything on the nose, to the lightness of body, to the now vinegar-ish taste. Quite unpleasant.

From Michelle: Really pretty color. Long legs. Very acidic. Not great on pop and pour. I keep thinking it’ll be better when it’s warmer and it is changing but i think not to my preference. I drank the whole glass though, so I don’t hate it.

12 year old had a taste and likes it, sort of. She says she likes the after taste.

Upon warming up, i 100% agree with Joel’s assessment that it is like a peach wine cooler or boons farm. Still not to my tastes. 12 year old says it’s fruity and better warmer.

The next day, with the half bottle stored in the fridge over night, not a huge change. Still better warmed slightly to cellar temp around 60. A few more grassy notes, and still light stone fruit. Very acidic. Really needs food.

I know that this is not my preferred style of wine, which tends to more robust whites - chardonnay, roussanne, marsanne - and fuller bodied reds. Hope this helps with those who may be more inclined.

Cheers!
Joel (and Michelle)

How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations).
2016 Anthesis Orange Wine - $80 = 22.21%

Anyone want to split a case in Orlando?