Here, winemaker Kaeley Weinberger is sourcing Chenin Blanc from the Chalone AVA, home of the oldest vineyard in Monterey County and one of the oldest Chenin Blanc vineyards in all of California, the Chalone Vineyard. Chalone is known for its unique soil composition, where limestone takes the lead with the support of granite, volcanic rock, and clay to make this slice of California, geologically and in in the quality of wines produced, reminiscent of Burgundy. This similarity in soil composition is what initially drew the French Tamm family to first plant the Chalone vineyard and some 50 years later brought legendary Californian winemaker Dick Graff 1,800 feet above the Salinas valley to this same storied region. Today, the vines are farmed by a icon in his own right, Kurt Rodnick, who farms this storied site at the base of an extinct volcano and the edges of Pinnacles National Park organically.
Grraff, unfortunately, is no longer with us, but his legacy is in the good hands of stewards Rodnick and Janet Rodgers and a fresh crop of winemakers like Weinberger who prize this historic site. The grapes for this wine were planted to the original Tam clone by Graff himself, and Weinberger keeps her additions minimal, utilizing native yeasts and adding just a small amount of sulfur at crush before moving the wine to a neutral barrel. The results are stunning. A satisfying concentration of ripe orchard fruit anchors the palate while bright, juicy California citrus lifts a wine that is textural and shows ample weight. The distinct minerality of the site shines through an intentionally oxidative note that reinforces a touch of spicy, phenolic bitterness typical of Chenin. Drink cold, but not ice cold, we love the wine with soft-ripened cheeses or takeout Thai food!
For this wine, we are moving north to Coombsville, on the southern edge of the famed Napa Valley. Here, Weinberger is sourcing a distinctly Californian clone of Merlot referred to as Black Merlot, named for its creator, the late Michael Black. The vineyard, originally planted by Black himself in 1986, is volcanic in nature and offers drainage and soil structure qualities that force the vine to struggle and a mineral and microbial richness that provides essential nutrients. Weinberger has compiled an incredible history on Merlot in California and the Back clone itself so I’ll leave the depths of this histroy for us to explore with her during our tasting.
Weinberger is destemming the fruit, lightly foot treading to break up the berries, and fermenting the juice with its skins for 16 days until the wine is pressed into a nuetral barrel. The wine then spends seven month in these barrels before being bottled entirely by hand, without the use of any machines. The results are, again, stunning. Pure and supple, the wine shows a core of pristine red and purple fruits and exquisitely fine grained tannins that will only get better with age. There is bright floral and savory herbaceousness to complement the sultry fruit and enough acid to keep things fresh. Simultaneously powerful and refined, the wine is a real showstopper next to cuts of wood-fired meat or charred maitake mushrooms. Drink at cellar temperature, try it after 15 minutes in your refrigerator before enjoying.
Aslina is the project of Ntsiki Biyela (pictured above) who, after growing up in a rural village in the KwaZulu-Natal province in the East of the country, received a scholarship to study winemaking at Stellenbosch University. Her wines are clean and expressive, utilizing a lot of the same sustainable farming practices we often talk about here but focusing on making imminently drinkable and elegant wines. The 2023 skin contact Chenin Blanc is a great example of this. Here, Biyela is working with the most commonly grown wine grape in the country in the Mediterannean climate of the Western Cape.
The grapes are fermented on their skins for five days to draw moderate but present tannins into the wine to complement the generous notes of chamomile, floral black tea, dried citrus, and fresh orchard fruits. A linear minerality focuses the wine on a crisp saline finish that begs for food. Drink this wine with a bit of a chill, we love it with intensely flavorful cooking and cheeses. The tannin and minerality provide a perfect foil to fat on the palate, and the expressive fruit notes stand up well to punchy flavors.
Kumusha is the project of world-renowned sommelier Tinashe Nyamudoka. Kumusha translates to “your home/roots/origin” in the Zimbabwean Shona language, and these wines are an excellent expression of their origin and place or terroir!
His ‘Wild Mutupo’ line of wines are his take on trendy “natural” and easy-drinking chilled reds, skin contact whites, and pet nats. Here, he is working with Cinsault fermented semi-carbonically. Carbonic maceration or intracellular fermentation is the process made famous in the Beaujolais, that results in light, fruity, aromatic, and low tannin wines. The ‘Wild Mutupo’ Carignan is exactly this. A stark departure from the Carignan club members received from Domaine Fond Cypres in Corbieres, France which was much heavier and with more tannin.
We love the ‘Wild Mutupo’ Carignan with a chill. The wine showcases fresh and crunchy red fruits like cranberries and raspberries, and a gentler but still present hints of spice like anise and cloves to add depth and intrigue. A favorite with smash burgers or anything that sees the grill, we love the ripe fruity notes with a touch of bitter char!Kumusha is the project of world-renowned sommelier Tinashe Nyamudoka. Kumusha translates to “your home/roots/origin” in the Zimbabwean Shona language, and these wines are an excellent expression of their origin and place or terroir!
His ‘Wild Mutupo’ line of wines are his take on trendy “natural” and easy-drinking chilled reds, skin contact whites, and pet nats. Here, he is working with Cinsault fermented semi-carbonically. Carbonic maceration or intracellular fermentation is the process made famous in the Beaujolais, that results in light, fruity, aromatic, and low tannin wines. The ‘Wild Mutupo’ Carignan is exactly this. A stark departure from the Carignan club members received from Domaine Fond Cypres in Corbieres, France which was much heavier and with more tannin.
We love the ‘Wild Mutupo’ Carignan with a chill. The wine showcases fresh and crunchy red fruits like cranberries and raspberries, and a gentler but still present hints of spice like anise and cloves to add depth and intrigue. A favorite with smash burgers or anything that sees the grill, we love the ripe fruity notes with a touch of bitter char!
Riofavara is situated in the Noto Valley, minutes down the road from the enchanting Baroque city of Avola on the east coast of Sicily. Here the Padova family has tended vines for over a century and today are farming organically and making wines that focus on expressing their unique Sicilian typicity and environment. Their commitment to this environment is so firm that they found the official Italian certifying agency too lax and have since been certified by a smaller and more meticulous certification group. For this bottling they are blending the heirloom Sicilian varietals of Grecanico, Moscato Giallo, Grillo, Recunu, Cutrera, and Rucignola.
This elegant bottle of bubbles is made in the Traditional Method (Metodo Classico), not unlike Champagne, to provide a fine mousse and persistent and delicate bubbles. This means they first make a still wine and age it on lees for 6 months before bottling and adding a liqueur de tirage to undergo a secondary fermentation in bottle. This secondary fermentation in bottle traps the CO2 that is produced during fermentation in bottle where over time pressure increases as more CO2 is produced. This bottle aging creates more time for the wine to both age on its lees and for the bubbles in the wine to be pressurized and create the fine, delicate, and persistent bubble structure wines made in this method are known for.
The result is something elegant but also lean, fresh, and dry, the wine has an expressive bouquet of fresh herbs, white flowers, and oily citrus zest. On the palate, it is refreshing and mineral driven with a pleasant chalky finish. Best enjoyed cold, this wine needs no occasion but is excellent with shellfish and a celebration!
Not a true wine, this bottle is a low ABV sparkling beverage known as a Piquette. Piquettes are made from the pomace that winemakers are left with after pressing grapes a first time to ferment their juice into wine. Historically reserved as something to be enjoyed by workers in the vineyard, Piquettes are having a resurgence in recent years as they are extremely sustainable to produce and make for an easy-drinking and low ABV ferment that gives a second life to what is essentially a byproduct of winemaking. We love them as a day drinker!
This bottle comes to us from Wonderwerk, a young up-and-coming pair of Los Angeles based winemakers working with mostly organic fruit from all over California. Their Lite Werk bottles are all piquettes, infused with some sort of non grape aromatics. Here they are re-fermenting grape pomace and infusing with heirloom Oaxacan hibiscus teas. The result is an exuberantly playful bottle that’s tart, floral, and delicious. Drink cold and pair like you would an agua fresca. Goes great with chilaquiles and a hangover!
Clot de l’Origine is the project of Marc and Caroline Barriot who have been farming biodynamically and making wine with minimal intervention in Maury since 2004. Maury is wine region at the beginning of the Pyrenees foothills best known for their fortified sweet wines with a history that likely dates back to 600 BC. The 2022 Le Trouble Fait that you will be taking home is a staple wine for the winery but unique amongst its orange wine peers.
Here, you get Muscat and Sauvignon, two white grapes fermented on their skins, and a direct press of Syrah blended together to make medium-bodied, fruit forward and chuggable style with just enough grip to feel serious. Essentially this is a blend of orange wine (white grapes fermented on their skins) and rosé (direct pressed red grapes). Low in alcohol and high in acid the wine showcases all the boisterous floral notes like elderflower and slightly bitter hops that Muscat is best known for with the austere and fresh citrus notes of Sauvignon and a touch of more developed fruit from the Syrah. A favorite with roasted vegetables, fall pies, and salty cheeses the wine is best enjoyed with a bit of a chill, 30 or so minutes in the fridge before you open should be just fine.Description text goes here
Further toward the Mediterranean, but still with an unmistakable influence from the Pyrenees foothills lies Corbières. Local myth tells us that the first Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne loved the wines from here so much that he dispatched his sommelier to Corbières to better understand the production of these fruity and aromatic wines.
Today, the region is know for its various micro-climates and terroirs and for being an exceptionally diverse wine region capable of producing the highest quality wines in a plethora of styles.
Domaine Fond Cyprès is the project of locally bred Laetitia Ourliac and spouse Rodolphe Gianesini, with help from three generations of their family. Certified organic since 2006, the farm is home to much more than just grapes. Olives, tomatoes, eggplants, and wild herbs make up some of the lush vegetation that create a living polyculture. This conversation to organics was done under the tutelage of Burgundy’s legendary Fred Cossard, a name sure to peak the ears of the biggest nerds amongst us.
Their 2022 ‘La Carignan de la Source’ is a rustic and wild take on a classic grape for the region. Destemmed and fermented in concrete before being aged in demi-muids, 600L oak barrels bigger than Burgundy barrels but smaller than larger oak foudres, allows for a gentle influence of oak and oxygen on the wine and for the grapes and place to really speak for themselves. The 60 year old vines express a beautiful concentration of sultry, deep, and dark fruit that is characteristic of the Carignan. Savory notes of earth and leather add more intrigue and ample acid keeps things fresh. We love this bottle as an accompaniment to red meat, perfect for your Christmas or holiday roast if you can manage to refrain from drinking until then!cription text goes here

WINE CLUB [TASTING NOTES]

DADA[MARKET]
1606 Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026

WINE CLUB [TASTING NOTES]

FEBRUARY Weinberger Wines Chenin Blanc 2024

FEBRUARY Weinberger Wines 'Widow Black' Merlot 2024

JANUARY Aslina Skin Contact Chenin Blanc 2023

JANUARY Kumusha 'Wild Mutupo' Carignan 2024

DECEMBER Riofavara 'Spumante Metodo Classico Extra Brut' NV

DECEMBER Wonderwerk 'Lite Werk Hibiscus' NV

NOVEMBER Marc et Caroline Barriot 'Le Trouble Fait' 2022

NOVEMBER Domaine Fond Cyprès ‘La Carignan de la Source’

DADA[MARKET]1606 Sunset BlvdLos Angeles, CA 90026

DADA[MARKET]
1606 Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026