May 2025 Wine Club
Miles Garrett Chardonnay 2023
The vibe: Let’s go, y’all! Sunny Seattle days are finally upon us and that means it’s white wine weather again. We’ve got a real treat kicking off the club this month with a very fresh and zippy Chardonnay from Miles Garrett in Humboldt County, CA. Now some of y’all might consider yourselves members of the ABC party (Anything But Chardonnay) and look, we’re not trying to petition you but, well maybe we are a *little* bit. If you say all Chardonnay is oaky and buttery, we say try THIS. This Chard is refreshing and goes down like a Caprisun after a kickball tournament. The fruit comes from a plot in Willow Creek, cooled by ocean breezes at night with a long growing season, meaning more crisp acidity at harvest. And, because there are no sulfites added, the wine remains fresh and pure. Yes yes yes!
The winemaker: Miles Garett makes natural wine in Humboldt County with a focus on minimal intervention and never adds sulfites or any other additives during any part of the process. Everything is done by hand by him and his family, friends and volunteers. The resulting wines are honest and expressive yet light and extremely drinkable, reminiscent of California wines of the 70s, when temperatures were lower and wines had higher acid and lower levels of tannins. Growing grapes in a relatively remote area also means he avoids overspray from neighbors, and being in a cooler microclimate means all his wines have bright acidity and crunchy fruity tones.
The geeky details: 100% Chardonnay from Peach Tree Lane Vineyard in Willow Creek. Certified Organic, dry farmed with cover crop and fertilized by farm animals. Pressed whole cluster, fermented in stainless steel tanks and then aged in 80% in stainless steel and 20 % in neutral french oak barrels for 11 months. No filtration and no other modifications or additions. No SO2 addition.
Serve: With a chill.
Food pairing: Chardonnay is a classic pairing for richer seafood dishes with buttery, creamy sauces. Since this has some bright acidity and citrus notes, it would also be amazing with spicy/umami components like sushi, seaweed salad or a fresh spicy tuna salad/poke bowl situation.
Album pairing: Southern Energy - Southern Energy Ensemble & Black Fire
Duo Terra Orange 2023
The vibe: Keeping things on the lighter side, this is a brand-spankin-new orange wine combining California and Portuguese fruit! A collaboration between Deux Punx in Napa, CA and Quinta do Montalto in Lisbon, Portugal, this wine combines fruit from both countries, merging native varieties and natural practices into something entirely new! Duo Terra (two lands) is a bold meeting of grapes and minds, fusing beachy California vibes with Portuguese tradition and terroir. It’s the perfect picnic popper with its aromas of dried pineapple and orange blossom and a grippy yet refreshing palate with bold peach skin notes and a touch of herbal tea.
The winemaker:
Deux Punx was founded by Dan Schaaf and Aaron Olson, two wine addicted ex-punks, in April of 2008. They utilize the facilities of Punk Dog Wineries, a shared space in the River East Neighborhood in Napa, which lends itself to the minimalist and experimental style of winemaking they capture in their wines. All of their wines are produced in the same manner – native fermentation, minimal so2, neutral oak, and ambient temperatures. Their philosophy is to let the raw materials from the vineyards express their true nature, embracing the differences between sites and vintages. Deux Punx believes wine is meant to be shared and enjoyed, not cellared and ignored. We can get down with that!
Quinta do Montalto not only dates back to the year 1880 (five generations) but is one of very few wineries that makes a beautiful local wine from the 1100s in the same traditional way it has always been made. Now, this wine lies within the DOC of Medieval de Ourém Encostas d'Aire. In general, their wines are labeled Vinho Regional Lisboa, because they are in farthest-north area of Lisboa (previously Estremadura), between the villages of Ourém and the famed Fátima (where the Blessed Virgin Mary was said to appear to three children in 1917). Montalto is perched in the middle of 50 hectares of certified organic land, and just 15 hectares are vineyards--the rest is dedicated to fruit, gardens, and forest. All of their native varieties are beautifully illustrative of the grapes and area, as they use native yeasts for the fermentation of their Medieval and red wines, very neutral oak, and light filtering methods. Montalto wines are pure, expressive, an incredible value, and a wonderful representation of what the region is known for.
The geeky details: Malvasia, Assyrtiko, Picpoul, Sémillon, Bourboulenc and Fiano from CA with Siria and Fernão Pires from Lisboa, PT.
Serve: With a chill.
Food pairing: Coastal fare. Umami flavors. Spicy or fruity sauces. A big bowl of cantaloupe sprinkled with Tajin. Mini shrimp rolls with a side of tangy plum sauce.
Album pairing: Chaos In The CBD - Midnight in Peckham EP
Two Shepherds Pinot Meunier Hopkins Ranch Russian River Valley 2022
The vibe: Pinot Meunier! We love this red grape so much. Typically found in sparkling wines like Champagne, it’s less commonly made into still red wines. But when done well, it’s sublime. Those same punchy black cherry, raspberry notes that it lends to sparkling wines come out in full force here. This is a juicy red! We’re excited to debut Two Shepherds in the club, a winemaker we’ve admired for some time for producing light bodied yet nuanced and layered wines - just our cup of tea. The grapes in this bottle in particular come from the oldest planting in the Russian River, a lucky encounter when the winemakers were buying their goats, Chabi and Chou.
The winemaker: Two Shepherds was founded by William Allen, a garagiste for years before moving into commercial production in 2010 and joined by his partner and wine industry veteran, Karen Daenen in 2015. Two Shepherds’ first harvest back in 2010 was native yeast and neutral barrel, and they’ve kept that ethos to date. Specializing in Rhone varieties, they soon adopted other fun varietals as they grew their sourcing, keeping each release limited to 25-400 case small lots. The Two Shepherds farm is home to 3 mini donkeys, 5 goats, 6 chickens, 2 dogs and 3 cats, and now 2 Kune-Kune herbivore lady pigs. When one of the wines matches their personality, they get a wine named after them.
The geeky details: 100% Pinot Meunier from 45 year old vines in the Russian River Valley in Sonoma. Native yeast, low sulfur, 10 months in neutral barrel.
Serve: With a light chill.
Food pairing: Cookout vibes! Smokey charred ribs or roasted duck and grilled veggies. Anything herb-roasted. You could even throw some truffle-heavy dishes at this!
Album pairing: Underground Canopy - Séquences EP
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WHAT THE FUNK?!
Revel Cider ‘Soif’ 2022
The vibe: This month’s funky fourth bottle is really unique. Not only is it a fruit salad cider combining farm-grown and foraged fruits, it’s all the way from Ontario, Canada! This bottle is what sparkling rosé tasting notes describe but can only aspire to actually taste like. It’s a liquid Venn diagram of Toronto’s bountiful produce scene, where cider maker Tariq Ahmed has immersed himself since 2014, and where his obsession started while living on an organic vegetable farm.
The winemaker: Tariq Ahmed started Revel Cider in 2014 during an internship at Manorun Organic Farm in Ontario after discovering an old wine press at the farm. Since then he has been taking the province’s produce and transforming it into bright wild-fermented bottles that capture Ontario’s growing season. He opened a brick and mortar tasting room
The geeky details: Two spontaneously fermented ciders aged on cherries and strawberries and almost one ton of red wine skins (Maréchal Foch) for an extra month of skin contact. Zero sugar, wild fermented.
Serve: With a chill.
Food pairing: Hmmmmmm! Desserts with a tart/tangy cherry/cranberry component would rock. Spring salad with a fruity dressing. This might sound weird but pork tacos might be incredible washed down with this.
Album pairing: Lagartijeando - 7 Caminos
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EASYYYY
Duo Terra Red 2023
The vibe: We couldn’t help but pop another bottle of Duo Terra in the mix this month. Taking the same approach is their orange wine, this blend of red and white fruit is the result of both California-grown and Portuguese-grown grapes, blended by Deux Punx in California. The result is a juicy, tart, cranberry-sauce-meets-plum-skins light red wine that is both familiar and infinitely nostalgic, like a bottle you’ve had before but can’t quite place. The Portuguese call this feeling Saudade, and that’s exactly what you’ll feel when it’s finished. Good thing there’s more where that came from!
The winemaker:
Deux Punx was founded by Dan Schaaf and Aaron Olson, two wine addicted ex-punks, in April of 2008. They utilize the facilities of Punk Dog Wineries, a shared space in the River East Neighborhood in Napa, which lends itself to the minimalist and experimental style of winemaking they capture in their wines. All of their wines are produced in the same manner – native fermentation, minimal so2, neutral oak, and ambient temperatures. Their philosophy is to let the raw materials from the vineyards express their true nature, embracing the differences between sites and vintages. Deux Punx believes wine is meant to be shared and enjoyed, not cellared and ignored. We can get down with that!
Quinta do Montalto not only dates back to the year 1880 (five generations) but is one of very few wineries that makes a beautiful local wine from the 1100s in the same traditional way it has always been made. Now, this wine lies within the DOC of Medieval de Ourém Encostas d'Aire. In general, their wines are labeled Vinho Regional Lisboa, because they are in farthest-north area of Lisboa (previously Estremadura), between the villages of Ourém and the famed Fátima (where the Blessed Virgin Mary was said to appear to three children in 1917). Montalto is perched in the middle of 50 hectares of certified organic land, and just 15 hectares are vineyards--the rest is dedicated to fruit, gardens, and forest. All of their native varieties are beautifully illustrative of the grapes and area, as they use native yeasts for the fermentation of their Medieval and red wines, very neutral oak, and light filtering methods. Montalto wines are pure, expressive, an incredible value, and a wonderful representation of what the region is known for.
The geeky details: Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris from CA with Tinta Amarela, Castelão, Arinto from Lisbon, Portugal.
Serve: With a light chill.
Food pairing: Again, cookout vibes! Throw a lil chill on this guy, crack the cap and glug it down with some BBQ. Fish over an open grill, Portuguese style. Or hit the Sunday farmer’s market and throw your produce haul on the Foreman.
Album pairing: Hidden Spheres - Waiting EP