Organic + Biodynamic Wine

New York Times 

"This might have been a classic cava, if all cavas were farmed organically and made with as much care. Instead, it stands out. Parés Baltà uses only the traditional grapes, xarello, parellada and macabeu, with the emphasis on xarello. It’s fresh, lively and dry. Other good Spanish sparklers to seek out include Gramona, AT Roca, Recaredo and Raveentos Blanc" - Eric Asimov’s New York Times Article Dec. 21, 2023.

Our Professional Review

Oscar Garcia Moncada 67Wine.com | For those seeking a superb sparkling wine made the Traditional method and blending the flagship Cava Varietals, Xarel.lo, Parellada and Macabeu, Pares Balta Brut Nature NV should be on your wine  radar. 

Tasting Notes: Aromas to green apples, citrus fruit and brioche. Medium-bodied with superb fine bubbles. Crisp and enticing mouthfeel. Bone-dry with a refreshing finish.

Winemaker Description 

On the nose the wine shows spice, violets, vanilla and dark cherry. The palate is rich and full with red and dark cherry alongside hints of smoke, and spice.

Made from a blend of four Marlborough vineyards Quarters, Andahlane, Kennedys Road and including the Huia home block, this wine boasts a beguiling richness with notes of alpine strawberries, dark cherry, violets, cranberries, cinnamon, clove, hay and roasted hazelnuts on the nose with juicy acidity beautifully balanced with the generous notes of toasted oak, cherry pie, strawberries, wild thyme, marjoram, cacao and Chinese 5 spice on the palate. 

Best decanted an hour prior to enjoying. 

Winemaker Description 

A full bodied orange that sees a full month of underground fermentation in a Qvevri. Deep golden in the glass, it gives whiffs of honey blossom. On the palate it's full, dry and nutty with notes of apricots. The wine is unfiltered and unfined, allowing for a little sedimentation in the bottle. 

Pheasant's Tears is a joint venture between John Wurdeman and Gela Patalishvili. Since 2007, they take care of their grapes with very low intervention, using wild yeasts during vinification to best showcase the Kakheti terroir. The name 'Pheasant's Tears' comes from an old Georgian tale claiming that only the best wine could make a pheasant cry. 

Winemaker Description

This wine from the Rkatsiteli grape variety was vinified and aged in amphorae with a 6-month maceration of the skins (what is now called an "orange wine", and that the Georgians call an "amber wine"). There are dried fruits, honey, with an unusually powerful structure, but not aggressive. He asks for spicy dishes or mature cheeses (parmesan, old Comté)

Gela Patalishvili is the 8th generation of winemakers, in the Kakheti region, in the south of the Caucasus. John Wurdeman is an American painter living in Georgia since 1998.

Georgia is located between Armenia and Turkey to the south, Azerbaijan to the east, Russia to the north and the Black Sea to the west.

Gela and John want to preserve this heritage. Today, they cultivate around ten grape varieties without pesticides or herbicides, and vinify all in "qvevri", a traditional (buried) amphora for wine making and aging. Both reds and whites are produced by maceration for 3 weeks to 6 months. With these wines, we have no known taste references, they transport us elsewhere!

Winemaker Descripton

Dry, sparkling. Estate grown organic and biodynamic Ellis Bitter and Bramleys Seedling varieties. This third vintage is bright and tannic.

Tasting Notes: grassy, alfalfa, dried pomelo and orange

Pairings: venison, butternut squash ravioli with browned butter

8.1% ABV>

Our Professional Review 

Bart Hopkins of 67Wine.com writes | A lovely expression of Syrah, savory and darkly fruited with a sensuous mouthfeel and luscious textures. The fruit is rich and focused with velvety tannins and a mineral rich, long delicious finish. 

Expert Review - Vintage 2020 

John Gilman 91 Points | The 2020 Saint-Julien en Saint-Alban from Éric Texier is a fine bottle of young syrah. The bouquet is deep, precise and beautifully black fruity in personality, wafting from the glass in a mix of cassis, pepper, expresso, grilled venison, a nice touch of black olive, granite soil tones and plenty of upper register smokiness. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, ripe and very well balanced, with a fine core of fruit, lovely soil inflection and grip, fine-grained tannins and a long, complex and seamlessly balanced finish. This is still a puppy and quite primary in personality today, but also quite easy to drink. It is not a crime to be opening bottles today, but more complexity will certainly emerge with just a modicum of patience."

Our Professional Review

Bart Hopkins of 67Wine.com writes | This super delicious Italian red is made from a blend of organically grown Barbera and Bonarda grown in the Trebbia Valley (hence the name Trebbiolo) in Emilia Romagna. Plump and juicy, with brambly red and black fruit aromas on the bouquet that expands generously on the palate. Velvety textured with sweet, supple tannins and a more-ish drinkability, this is a wine of pure pleasure. Serve it with pizza, strong cheeses and savory wild game.

Winemaker Description 

Jesús Sastre performs a high-wire, tight-rope act with his wines, where the drinker can have everything in one wine, and at the end of it all, one is left wondering how he is able to pack such an adventure into each bottle.

He manages to achieve a level of sophistication and complexity unequaled by almost no other producer in Ribera del Duero.” WOW!!!

The Viña Sastre is dark and brooding with notes of baked black fruit, herbs, earth, and cocoa powder. Grill it up with steak with a little melted cabrales blue cheese and see God.

Expert Revew - Vintage 2021

Wine Spectator 90 Points | Packs a weighty core of cherry preserves and plum, with black licorice notes, toasted apple wood and a firming spine of iron. A formidable, serious red, laced with ripe yet subtly grippy tannins through the singed herb–flecked finish. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre.

Expert Review - Vintage 2022

Mike DeSimone of the Wine Enthusiast writes 91 Points | Pale yellow in color, this wine offers a bouquet of Gala apple and honeysuckle. Valencia orange, bergamot and dried-thyme flavors fade into a finish marked with touch of lemon grass. 

Winemaker Description 

Moderately deep soils except for Marges which brings its characteristic freshness and youth. The Rigolet y Baja, terroirs which add the concentration are terroirs of Miocene marl earth which allows the vine to absorb only the quantity of water necessary for adequate growth.

Sabate i Coca Castellroig Xarello 'So Blanc'

Fruity and creamy with apple aromas, pineapple, fennel, dried fruits and pine nuts. Intense in the mouth, dense and with a bitter edge that is highly distinctive and pleasant, preserving the freshness of the wine, and with a lightly sweet sensation at the end.

Winemaker Description

Separate vinification of Xarello and Macabeo followed by blending and traditional method sparkling winemaking. 

Hailing from the Sabate i Coca family farm just south of Barcelona. This cava is crisp and refreshing with hints of apple and pear. Perfect as an apertif! Certified organic.

Winery Notes

Quality sparkling wine with very fine bubbles due to its long aging. Complex aroma, fresh notes of pineapple and eucalyptus, toasted cocoa and dried fruits, perfectly blended together. Voluminous, fleshy and fresh in the mouth. Structured and surprisingly fresh, long-lasting and well balanced.

Its high acidity and dry finish make it incredibly versatile:

• Tapas: Excellent with Jamón Ibérico, olives, and aged Spanish cheeses.

• Seafood: Perfect with oysters, sushi, or grilled shrimp.

• Anything Fried: The sharp acidity cuts beautifully through rich, fried foods like calamari or fried chicken.

FARMING

Certified Organic 

Winemaker Description

Compelling and fresh, this wine is redolent of grapefruit and red berries

One would be hard-pressed to find anyone as devoted to the concepts of ‘sustainable’ and ‘local’ as Thierry and Céline Tissot. Their vision is of a sustainable ecological future with a thriving local economy to pass on to their two children. All one has to do is admire the privileged vineyards the Tissots farm along the steep mountainsides surrounding their village of Vaux-en-Bugey. Here, Thierry has committed to replanting with traditional local varieties, namely altesse and mondeuse.

Meanwhile, Céline has implemented her experience as an agriculture engineer and enologist, employing strictly sustainable agriculture, with a particular focus on insect diversity. Their efforts earned organic certification in 2019. Their vineyards are surrounded by sub-alpine forests brimming with  biodiversity—birds’ nests, foxes, ladybugs, spiders—which Céline loves to share on social media as they work the vines with their dog Maya. The Tissot vineyards had never seen any herbicides, having been abandoned to the forest before the introduction of chemical treatments. The couple have steadfastly carried on this legacy with respect and dedication to their principles.

This méthode traditionelle sparkling wine is made with organically-farmed, estate gamay and mondeuse. As an Extra-Dry, it has an exceptional balance that will play well at the beginning and end of the meal (or throughout your picnic!). Céline and Thierry Tissot are showing that top quality méthode traditionelle sparklers can be made in Bugey, transmitting a clear and unique Bugey identity. The Tissots have been pushing the envelope with the development of their traditional method sparkling wines with a long lees-aging regimen.

Winemaker Descxription 

MUSE DE MIRAVAL is a rigorous selection of the château's oldest and best plots and the finest expression of this unique terroir!

Organically farmed.

This rosé cuvée, mostly vinified in egg-shaped concrete vats, is also aged to a lesser extent in special oak barrels (so-called demi-muids). Each of its aromas evokes a chapter in Miraval's history, reflecting the place and its fragrance, which is typical of this Provençal winery. The unique shape of its handcrafted bottle (available only in magnum) and its very own rosé wine celebrate Miraval's timeless style with rare elegance.

Producer Description 

Matthieu Barret is a Biodynamic winemaker from Domaine de Coulet in Cornas. His love of savory Northern Rhone reds brought him to a vineyard in the southern Rhone village of Visan planted exclusively to Syrah and farmed organically and Biodynamically. 

The 2023 Petit Ours (Little Bear), named for Matthieu’s nickname, has a dark berry aroma on the nose accented with black pepper, violet, lavender, black olive and savory spice. Juicy, fresh and vibrant in the mouth with earthy complexity and sturdy tannins.

Producer Description 

Exhibiting the maturity and refinement of the extended barrel aging process, our Añejo, or ‘aged’ tequila is the pinnacle of our portfolio. The same organic 100% blue agave, hand-harvested and slow-roasted for distillation, and left to open up and evolve over 18 months of aging in Kentucky Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey barrels.

What follows is a multi-layered, sophisticated expression of natural flavors you will savor with every sip.

Best enjoyed on its own, or with a fresh fruit garnish, Tres Agaves Añejo tequila offers a perfect balance of richness and elegance. 

Winemaker Description 

This cuvée is the classic white wine of Montbourgeau. It is usually bottled after 24 to 30 months of élevage in barrel. 

The very special nature of the appellation of L’Etoile produces white wines of exceptional finesse and complexity.

The fermentation occurs in stainless steel but, after malolactic, the wine is racked into small barrel and demi-muids for two years. At that point, the entire production is assembled and left for several months in cuve before being bottled. 

Expert Reviews

Ramon Roset writes:  Juicy and gourmet, with subtly marked tannin and again an explosion of forest fruits aromas and some balsamic notes.  VadeVi Catalonia 

For your guidance the 2023 vintage review - Joaquin Hidalgo writes:  The 2023 Radix is 100% Syrah sourced from Penedès, fermented almost like a white wine with a six-hour skin-soak at cool temperatures. Purple in hue, its aromas resemble a carbonic maceration profile, featuring grapefruit and herbs. Dry and lightly fizzy, it offers an intense, fruit-forward palate with soft tannins. This is a thirst-quenching red.  - Vinous 92

Winemaker Description 

An organic Spanish rosé wine that combines the freshness and aroma of its grape varieties. 

Freshness, softness and lightness in a young rosé and organic wine. This wine conveys the softer and more aromatic side of the Penedès.

Winemaker Description 

Arenisca is 100% Tinta de Toro from the Paraje Los Panaderos vineyard in neighboring Benialbo (within D.O. Toro), which is among the highest elevation sites in the appellation. Grapes were hand-harvested, wild yeast fermented with 40% stem inclusion in open vats with 30 days of maceration, then raised for 11 months in used French oak barrels.

The finished wine is bottled unfiltered, and just a touch of sulfur is added at bottling. 

Producer Description 

A Delicately Crafted, Vegetal Spirit Artfully Distilled From Cane Juice, Unveiling A Harmonious Symphony of Flavors. The Spirit Provides A Complex Organic Fruity Experience Allowing A Taste Of The Unique Terroir.

Founded by four college friends, all children of Caribbean immigrants, Navét 1804 offers this traditional Haitian clairin with all the funky, fruity, vegetal flavor you expect from fresh cane juice distillate, similar to French Rhum Agricole but with its own storied tradition. Sip or mix!

This refreshing California Rosé is clean, dry, and light-bodied—perfectly food-friendly. Made from a blend of international varietals including Grenache, Barbera, and Mourvèdre, it offers a layered profile with subtle complexity. Delicate savory notes are complemented by minimality and pleasant saline finish. Debra, 67 Rose Wine Buyer

Matthiason Winery

STORY

We first started making Rosé more than 25 years ago in our backyard, because no one was making the style of Rosé we wanted to drink: with complex French Provençal flavors, but much lighter and crisper. Today, we source the grapes from the Windmill Vineyard and the Muller Vineyard in the Dunnigan Hills AVA of Yolo County. Both vineyards are lovingly farmed organically - and in fact Steve taught one of the vineyard managers how to farm organically 14 years ago.

Our Professional Review 

Bart Hopkins, 67Wine Buyer, writes: Coste di Moro is a more structured and substantial Montepulciano d’Abruzzo with rich dark fruit aromas: plums, blackberries and black cherries with earth and spice adding layered complexity. Robust and chewy textured in the mouth with robust tannins adding good grip and mouth presence. With a little more bottle age than many of its peers, this lovely Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is drinking at its very best right now, and will deliciously complement rich pasta sauces and anything off the grill. Demeter certified Biodynamic.

Winemaker Description 

The 1100 ha of vineyards are located at an altitude of 432 m. a.s.l. between the lopes of the Majella National Park and at 15 Km from the Adriatic Sea, enjoying a peculiar position and a particularly favorable climate for organic and biodynamic farming. Today, with 80% of certified organic vineyards and 35% of biodynamic certified ones it is possible to walk through the vineyards of Cantina Orsogna partners and live totally immersed in an eco-friendly agricultural organism.

Ruby red colour with intense aromas of red fruit and black cherry jam, light notes of cocoa and toasted oak complete the bouquet. The palate is warm, fairly tannic but soft on the finish.

Bart Hopkins of 67Wine.com writes | Primitivo is a traditional southern Italian grape, so it is unusual to find one from as far north as Abruzzo. But, with that said, judging by the substance and intensity of flavor of the 2024 Ruminat Primitivo, maybe more should be planted there. On the nose, powerful aromas of red and black berry fruit waft from the glass with notes of wild herbs and dark chocolate. Full and robust in the mouth with good tannins to support the fruit and spicy complexity that lingers long on the finish. Great with burgers, pizza, pasta and strong cheeses.

Expert Review - Vintage 2021

Vinous 89 Points | The 2021 Montecucco Rosso Rigoleto is dark and spicy, with suggestions of clove and cinnamon givig way to rich cherry sauce and hints of sweet sage. This is silky in feel, with juicy acidity and ripe red fruits that flow effortlessly across the palate. It leaves a licorice tinge to linger under violet inner florals, finishing fresh, youthfully tense and with medium length. 

Winemaker Description 

A love for Tuscany and a strong passion for wines led Claudio Tipa and his sister Maria Iris Bertarelli to Montecucco’s hills, where in 1999 they acquired and restored the ColleMassari castle, a fortress from the 13th century that was originally homestead of area nobility, along with its vineyards. Today the estate has a total surface of 1.200 hectares, of which 120 hectares are vineyards and nearly 90 hectares of olive groves (three trees are even more than 900 years old). 

The vines on the Montecucco hill are the oldest Sangiovese vines of the DOCG. A smooth and charming wine, this Sangiovese blend has delightful red berries notes and a delicate spicy touch of black pepper. Ready to drink wine with an easy approach, this is a ripe and very well balanced expression of this special part of the South of Tuscany.

A blend of organically grown Sangiovese, Viliegiolo and Montepulciano.

Winemaker Description 

One hundred per cent Listán Blanco (aka Palomino Fino) from ungrafted vines. These vines are pergola-trained and about one hundred years old on average and planted between 500 and 900 meters of altitude above sea-level. Vinification and aging is done in inox tanks.

Fresh, salty, mineral-driven and hugely refreshing; quintessential island wine.

Winemaker Description 

100% unoaked organic Cabernet Sauvignon from the Los Guindos vineyard in Maipo Valley, Chile. Made with naturally farmed grapes, it’s a pure and captivating low intervention wine.

Fermented with native yeasts and aging in stainless steel to preserve its freshness and fruit notes. Very low dosage of sulfites applied only before bottling. 

"Don´t be fooled by the apparent robustness of our bulldog Humphrey. Our Cabernet Sauvignon from the Los Guindos vineyard in Maipo Valley is friendly and easy to drink. Made with organic grapes hand-harvested from a carefully selected vineyard, this wine s pure and captivating.

It was fermented with its native yeasts, and we didn´t use any kind of oak during its aging to preserve its freshness and fruit notes."

Expert Reviews - Vintage 2020 

Bruce Sanderson of The Wine Spectator writes 95 Points | There's bright cherry and strawberry fruit in this elegant red, along with rose, mineral and wild herb notes, plus a hint of black pepper. Harmonious and vibrant, this is fluid while cruising to the long, detailed aftertaste.

James Suckling 93 Points | A crisp and fruity Brunello for this hot vintage, with vivid acidity and fine tannins. Medium-bodied, integrated and focused. Yet, it needs another two or three years to come together.

Audrey Frick of Jeb Dunnuck writes 92 Points | The 2020 Brunello Di Montalcino is a transparent bright red color and is ripe with aromas of strawberry preserve, candied flowers, sweet herbs, and mossy earth. Medium-framed, it's vibrant on the palate, with a linear feel, fine tannins, and bright acidity, leading with notes of orange citrus through a rather long finish and a touch of warmth. It retains good purity and energy and is very well balanced.

Winemaker Description 

Camigliano is one of the most historic estates in Montalcino. Acquired in 1957 by entrepreneur Walter Ghezzi, Camigliano was converted over time to the production of high quality wines, in particular of Brunello di Montalcino. The 1,300 acre estate is planted with over 220 acres of vineyards, 200 of which are Sangiovese vineyards.

Varieties

Winemaking

Winemaker Description 

Color of intense dark cherry with a violet edge. Intense nose, dominated by ripe red fruits, raspberry, currant, together with balsamic and mineral notes.

Powerful in the mouth, full-bodied, pleasantly tannic and fruity with a light spice on the finish. A beautiful crowd-pleaser.

Winemaker Description 

Gulp Hablo Fresco is an easy drinking, light-bodied wine that’s full of fresh herbs, strawberries, cherries, wet stones, and straight up deliciousness. It straddles the line between rose and red wine and reminds us of adult Kool-Aid in the very best possible way. This is an absolute no-brainer for the warmer months; drink it chilled!

50% Garnacha (Carrascosa de Haro), 15% Syrah (Carrascosa de Haro),  35% Airen – Macabeo – Verdejo (Pasaconsol y Carrascosa de Haro)

Tasting Notes:  Cranberry, Cherry, Raspberry, Spice

Gulp Hablo is the dream of three brothers, Francisco, Javier and Luis Parra. The hope was to celebrate their home of La Mancha by raising organically and biodynamically grown grapes. The winemaker behind Friend and Farmer and Hand Work is the same person making Gulp/Hablo.

This chillable red is a co-fermented blend of 5 organic/biodynamically grown grapes. It is soft, bright, light-bodied, refreshing, and fruit forward. Chill a bottle and sip it by the pool or on tar beach for a enjoyable summer afternoon. It will also pair well with roasted vegetables and grilled seafood.

Winemaker Description 

An organic wine born in Priorat with its own personality Gratavinum GV5 is born from the Cusine family´s desire to make quality wines in the well reputed region of Priorat, bringing together the special terroir and their passion for wine. Their philosophy is based on respect for the environment, passion for nature and the enjoyment of making this exciting project succeed.

With GV5 we strive to produce a unique wine with personality; a balanced, elegant, fine and fruity wine combined with the minerals and touch of the terroir of Priorat.