2023 NoneSuch Wines, Mencia, Silvaspoons Vineyard, Alta Mesa AVA, Sacramento County.
The dark purple/ruby 2023 NoneSuch wines Mencia is very Cru Beaujolais (Gamay) like in style with its whole cluster, semi carbonic, fermentation showing through and its silky medium bodied mouth feel, showing off expressive plum and berry fruits, making for a fun and highly quaffable wine. The nose is floral and candied, but with a subtle rustic earthy note as well, very fun and compelling stuff on the palate with dark berries, Italian cherry, black plum and preserved orange fruits, a touch of bumble gum, minty herb, chalky stones, anise, earthy walnut woodiness and violette liqueur. There’s silken tannins and a touch of vintage zing, a hint of Umami with some vibrant acidity lifting the wine and providing a fine balance, Ireally enjoyed this with some lighter food and a selection of cheeses. NoneSuch wines sources the grapes from a vineyard that is located North of Lodi and South of Sacramento in the Alta Mesa AVA, which they says sports the name “high table” because its hills rise higher than the flat areas around Lodi. Soils, as noted by the winery, here are alluvial clay and gravel deposits left by the Consumnes and the American Rivers, adding that It is one of the warmest appellations in Lodi making for more robust color, ripe flavors and structure in the wine. This terroir allowed for early picks and a nice fresh wine with a low 12.3% natural alcohol and the wine saw just old wood, neutral French oak aging, adding to the purity and freshness here, it is a fine effort from a new label to me.
I love finding under the radar wineries and rising star winemakers, so thanks to Ian Brand of the I. Brand & Family Winery for introducing me to these NoneSuch wines by Caitlin Quinn, who formed this label in 2017. Quinn, who was born near wine country, was raised in San Luis Obispo and has made wine for over a decade, both domestically in California and abroad in other countries. Still largely unknown Quinn is just getting started and I was very impressed with her expression of Mencia, a Spanish grape most commonly found n the Ribeira Sacra and Bierzo regions, and she says she’s finding her inspiration from her family, friends, and some incredible mentors in Santa Cruz Mountains and Sonoma County wine regions. Quinn says also that she is wholeheartedly embracing minimalist winemaking techniques in order to express (the) vineyard terroir fully, and transparently. All the grapes she uses are all hand-harvested and were foot trodden, fermented whole-cluster naturally, exclusively with native yeasts, and the wines are aged in entirely neutral oak barrels. Quinn says that Ron Silva of the Silvaspoons Vineyard has been championing Iberian varieties for decades, with 21 varieties planted, including the first known planting of Mencía in California. Just one acre was planted in 2014 with clones originating from Bierzo, Spain, and her wine only saw 5 barrels made. I loved this Mencia from NoneSuch wines, but I am really excited to try Caitlin’s Mediterranean inspired Sonoma County sourced Rhyolite white wines, which is an exciting blend of 16% Assyrtiko, 42% Falanghina and 42% Ribolla Gialla, so I am keeping an eye out for more of these wines and I recommend getting on her mailing list.
($25 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive