LES LUNES / POPULIS

PAST WINES

2021 COSMIC BLEND

This wine is made from Cabernet Sauvignon (45%) grown at Lolonis Vineyard in the Redwood Valley; Zinfandel (25%) grown at Hawkeye Ranch in the Redwood Valley; Chardonnay (17%) grown at Devito Vineyard in Mendocino; and Merlot (13%) grown at Pyaleh Vineyard in Carneros. The majority of the red grapes were direct pressed but a minor component including the entirety of the Merlot was fermented on skins in tank for up to two weeks. The Chardonnay was destemmed and macerated for two weeks before being pressed off. The components were all aged separately in a combination of tank and barrel before the final blend was made. 18ppm of SO2 was added at bottling. 696 cases were produced. 12.5% ABV

2020 CABERNET SAUVIGNON

This wine comes from a handful of vineyards Shaunt & Diego farm around Sonoma. Marcheschi Vineyard in Alexander Valley is planted on silty loam and alluvial igneous rock. Locke & Stone Barn Vineyards are planted on Huichica loam and a plethora of alluvial rocks. Goulding Vineyard is on clay loam. Millen and Pyaleh Vineyards are in cooler Carneros, the former on Haire clay loam and the latter on Wright loam. The grapes (90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc) were destemmed and fermented on skins for 4-14 days before being pressed off, keeping each lot separate for ageing. A small percentage was made as direct press rosé. After a nine-month élevage in barrel and tank, the components are blend and 15ppm of SO2 is added for stability after bottling. 12.5% ABV

2020 COSMIC BLEND

This wine is made from Cabernet Sauvignon (Millen Vineyard) and Merlot (Black Vineyard) Shaunt and Diego farm in Sonoma. Their focus is on organic fertilizers and cover crops, eschewing synthetic pesticides and herbicides. Cabernet Franc from County makes up the remainder. The grapes were manually destemmed before separate fermentations lasting between four and fourteen days. After eight months in tank and barrel the wine is bottled with minimal sulphur. 13% ABV

2019 WABI SABI

Wabi Sabi is a quest for beautiful imperfection. Vine age ranges from 15-70+ depending on the vineyard site (Mendocino). Different techniques are used depending on grape variety. In some cases, whole clusters were used and in other cases the grapes were destemmed. This vintage is a blend of Zinfandel, Carignane, and Chenin Blanc (with tiny amounts of Grenache, French Colombard, and Pinot Gris). As with all their wines, each lot was wild fermented. The wine was neither fined nor filtered before bottling.

2019 CHARDONNAY

Charlie Barra has been farming his vineyard for over sixty years. He was an early adopter of organics in California and goes above and beyond to ensure the health of his vineyard. This block of Chardonnay was planted in 1972 in Mendocino’s Redwood Valley. They whole-cluster pressed directly into neutral puncheon. It fermented and rested on full lees for four months before being racked into stainless steel tank for an additional seven months of élevage. This wine is unfined, unfiltered. 12% ABV

2019 COSMIC BLEND

This wine is made from Cabernet Sauvignon (Millen Vineyard) and Merlot (Black Vineyard) Shaunt and Diego farm in Sonoma. Their focus is on organic fertilizers and cover crops, eschewing synthetic pesticides and herbicides. Cabernet Franc from County makes up the remainder. The grapes were manually destemmed before separate fermentations lasting between four and fourteen days. After eight months in tank and barrel the wine is bottled with minimal sulphur. 13% ABV

2017 CABERNET/ MERLOT

These two adjacent sites are located in Carneros. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot planted on wright loam soils are some of the oldest vines in the appellation. Cool temperatures and cool soils both contribute to ripening at relatively low levels of sugar. They took over farming this vineyard five years ago and have converted it to organics. Their spraying regime follows the moon cycles. The grapes were destemmed and then fermented in open-top vats. Gentle punch-downs once per day for two weeks led to modest extraction. The wine was then aged in neutral Bordeaux barrels for two years. A small amount of Sulphur was added once per year to keep the wine precise and fresh. The final product was bottled by gravity without added sulphur. 12.5% ABV

2019 PINOT NOIR

Wally Burske’s vineyard in Carneros benefits from the cooling influences of San Francisco Bay. Planted on Wright Loam, he’s been farming organically since the 90s. Wally is also growing a wide variety of herbs (rosehips, lavender, mint, tea tree and sage) which he distills into essential oils - the aroma tends to permeate the grapes. Half the grapes were destemmed while the other half were fermented was whole-clusters. Pigeage was minimal during the two-week fermentation. The wine was then pressed off into neutral barrel for élevage. It is bottled unfined and unfiltered with <20ppm of sulphur. 12% ABV

2018 WABI SABI BLANC

This wine is an unconventional blend of four different grape varieties from four unique sites in Mendocino. Barra Vineyard contributes organically farmed Chardonnay from fifty-year-old vines. Venturi Vineyard contributes Sauvignon Blanc from seventy-year-old vines. DeAnda and Inland Vineyard contribute organic Chenin Blanc and French Colombard. Originally planted to Carignan, the vineyard was grafted over in the 60s. Shaunt claims this wine was inspired by the delicate blends from Cheverny. They direct pressed all the grapes, settled the juice overnight, and fermented each variety separately in neutral vessels. Only the Chenin Blanc received sulphur resulting in a total of 4.5ppm in the final blend. (405 Cases Produced) 12.5% ABV

2018 REVERSÉE

This year Reversée comes from two different vineyards in Mendocino. Venturi Vineyard, located just north of Ukiah, contributes Carignane and Zinfandel. The gravely loam here is composed of sandstone, shale, and quartz. Larry Venturi’s family planted this site in the 40s, and today he carries on the tradition of organic dry-farming. Recetti Vineyard is in the Redwood Valley sub-AVA and contributes Valdiguié to the blend. It features cooler red soils that help retain freshness. Tom & Pam Recetti’s site is certified organic. The Carignane was 2/3 whole-cluster fermented, and 1/3 direct-press to reduce the skin to juice ratio. The Valdiguié underwent carbonic maceration. The Zinfandel was hand destemmed and spent two weeks on skins before being pressed off. Élevage was in neutral tank before being bottled with 18ppm of sulphur. (501 Cases Produced) 12.5% ABV

2018 ROSÉ

Larry Venturi’s vineyard north of Ukiah is legendary. Planted on Pinole Series gravely loam, these slightly acidic soils allow for maximum nutrient uptake despite their low percentage of organic matter. The Carignan was planted in the 40s. These vines are certified organic and have never been watered. According to Shaunt, these head-trained bush vines have a ton of life left in them. The grapes are direct pressed, settled over night, and then racked into neutral vessels for élevage (barrel and tank). The wine is bottled unfined, unfiltered, and with 15ppm of sulphur. (412 Cases Produced) 12.5% ABV

2017 CHARDONNAY

Charlie Barra has been farming his vineyard for over sixty years. He was an early adopter of organics in California and goes above and beyond to ensure the health of the environment. This block of chardonnay was planted in 1972. They whole-cluster pressed this wine directly into neutral puncheon. It fermented and rested on full lees for ten months before being racked and bottled. This wine is unfined, unfiltered, and has no added Sulphur. (125 Cases Produced)

2016-17 WABI SABI

Wabi Sabi is a quest for beautiful imperfection. Shaunt and Diego really admire the idiosyncrasies of the nine vineyards used to compile this blend. Vine age ranges from 15-70. Different techniques are used depending on grape variety. In some cases, whole clusters were used and in other cases the grapes were destemmed. As with all their wines, each lot was wild fermented. The wine was neither fined nor filtered before bottling. 13% ABV

2016 CARIGNANE

This vineyard was planted in 1948 by the Poor Family; they are still farming this plot generations later. The site is located in Hopland on Sho Ka Wah (Pomo) tribal land. The vines are farmed organically and go without irrigation. Wholeclusters were fermented in open top tank for several weeks before being pressed off into neutral barrel. After a twenty-two month of élevage, the wine was bottled.

2016 REVERSÉE CARIGNANE

Venturi Vineyard can be found in Northern California, in Mendocino Country. Here you’ll find 70-year-old, dry farmed, head-trained Carignane vines. They are farmed organically and have their roots deep in sandstone, shale, and quartz. Half the grapes are destemmed while the other half is whole-cluster pressed to decrease the skin to juice ratio. The wine spent six days on the skins before being pressed off into large old puncheons and flex tank. 13% ABV (550 Cases Produced)

2016 ZINFANDEL

Vetunri Vineyard is located just north of Ukiah in Mendocino. The seventy-year-old Zinfandel vines are deeply rooted in the Pinole Series gravelly loam made from sandstone, shale, and quartz. You’ll find baseball sized hunks of rock deposited by alluvial flows throughout the site. The beautiful organic bush-vines thrive despite being dry farmed since their planting. Whole-clusters were crushed by foot before fermentation kicked off in open-top vats. During the steady, warm fermentation, light punch-downs were done once a day. One delestage was performed to increase extraction. The wine was aged in neutral flex tank and neutral barrique for 19 months before being racked and bottled. 25ppm of Sulphur was added after malolactic conversion, and an additional 10ppm were added before bottling. 13.5% ABV

2016 CHARDONNAY

Located on an active volcano north of Sacremento, Dobson Vineyard falls into the Manton Valley AVA. At 850m above sea level, these 40-year-old, own rooted Chardonnay vines can be found in gravelly loam. They have recently taken over farming of this vineyard, converting to organics and, to a lesser extent, permaculture. Whole clusters were pressed and the resulting juice was fermented in flex-tank and neutral oak. No sulphur was added until after malolactic conversion. 10ppm of sulphur was also added before bottling which was done via gravity to avoid pumping. 13% ABV (125 Cases Produced)

2015 ROSÉ

Venturi Vineyard can be found in Northern California, in Mendocino Country. Here you’ll find 70-year-old, dry farmed, head-trained Carignane vines. They are farmed organically and have their roots deep in sandstone, shale, and quartz. The grape clusters were pressed and the juice was allowed to settle overnight. Fermentation took place in a combination of neutral barrel and flex-tanks. It then spent 14 months on the lees before being bottled without fining nor filtration. 12.5% ABV (250 Cases Produced)

2014 CABERNET / MERLOT

Coplan Vineyard is located in Carneros. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are planted on wright loam soils. The cool temperatures in addition to the cool soils results in ripening with lower sugar levels. They took over farming this vineyard two years ago and have converted it to organics and even time their spraying with the moon cycles. The grapes were destemmed and then fermented in open-top vats. Gentle punch-downs once per day for two weeks led to modest extraction. The wine was then aged in neutral Bordeaux barrels for two years. A small amount of sulphur was added once per year to keep the wine precise and fresh. The final product was bottled by gravity. 12.5% ABV (322 Cases Produced)