Why This Bottle, Really? 2021 Vermentino “Hers,” Las Brisas Vineyard
Why This Bottle, Really?
An Unexpected Grape from a Unique California Terroir
2021 Vermentino “Hers,” Las Brisas Vineyard, Carneros, Ryme Cellars, about $25.
Carneros is different. Less touristed than neighboring Napa and Sonoma Valleys, the former sheep-grazing region (carneros means “rams” in Spanish) has a unique microclimate that is ideal for producing Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays, and sparkling wines from those two grapes.
While the classics may get most of the attention, innovative local winemakers are also producing varietal wines you don’t often see in California. The 2021 Ryme Vermentino “Hers” is inspired by the crisp, aromatic wines of the Ligurian Coast and Sardinia. The light, balanced wine evokes the Carneros American Viticultural Area’s distinctive terroir, where the maritime breezes off the San Pablo Bay keep the area cooler than the nearby valleys, as do the morning fogs that roll in year-round. The Petaluma Wind Gap — the area’s primary source of fresh marine air — gives the Las Brisas vineyard its name.
Mahoney Vineyards, which sells Vermentino grapes to Ryme, owns Las Brisas. The vineyard sits on the cooler, more marine-influenced Sonoma side of Carneros. Most of the grapes planted on its shallow clay soil are Pinot Noir, which Francis Mahoney has grown in Carneros for over 50 years. However in the early 2000s Mahoney began experimenting with other varieties. The hardy, disease-resistant Vermentino grapes were among the most successful.
The 2021 Ryme Vermentino “Hers” is clear, bright, and pale gold. On the nose, peach pits, salted lemon custard, and a bit of cut grass hint at the bright, zesty flavors to come. The mouthfeel is creamy yet light. Flavors of lemon verbena and orange blossom accompany notes of salt spray on the finish that recall the location.
At 11.6 percent, this Vermentino is lower in alcohol than many California wines, making it an ideal complement to foods such as grilled seafood or pasta al limone. We enjoyed it on a spring evening with grilled shrimp served over fresh linguine and bunches of ramps sautéed in olive oil. It would also be delightful on its own.
Ryme is known for exploring the potential of Italian varieties in California. The husband-and-wife winemakers, Ryan and Megan Glaab, began in 2007 with Aglianico. Their offerings now include such hard-to-find (at least in California) grapes as Ribolla Gialla and Friulano. While the Glaabs “agree 99 percent of the time,” they feel differently about how to interpret Vermentino’s “true identity,” which is why they also make a “His” version of the Vermentino, a skin-contact wine that is picked later and aged longer.
The Glaabs’ winemaking techniques are conscientious, sustainable, and low-intervention — traditional winemaking that speaks to their self-professed “Old World sensibilities.” Taking inspiration from similarly minded winemakers in Sardinia and Tuscany, the grapes for the “Hers” Vermentino are picked early to preserve acidity and pressed whole-cluster after a short maceration to avoid strong tannins.
The wine is made without fining or filtering. Half is fermented in neutral barrels and undergoes spontaneous primary and malolactic fermentations, and the other half is fermented in stainless-steel tanks, where malolactic fermentation is stopped with a small addition of sulfur dioxide. This combined technique contributes to a creamy mouthfeel without imparting the buttery flavors that often accompany fermentation in oak.
The Glaabs acknowledge that their wines may be “rare and unusual,” but they see experimentation as part of the “pioneering spirit of the California wine industry.” Ryan Glaab says, “We make wines that we love to drink, and we focus on exploring our California terroir through some less common varieties that offer a broad spectrum of textures and aromatics.”
At $25, the Ryme “Hers” Vermentino is a budget-friendly way of experiencing the unique terroir of Carneros. I’d open a bottle of it any spring or summer evening, because it’s light, bright, and the perfect complement for the season’s bounty. But it’s more than just delicious — it’s unexpected, with the mineral structure you’d expect of an Old World wine with a touch of California sunshine. ●
From issue 110The post Why This Bottle, Really? 2021 Vermentino “Hers,” Las Brisas Vineyard appeared first on The Art of Eating Magazine.