Organic Wines Uncorked: Slow Wine Guide, Part 2: Organic and BD Producers' "Great Wines" From Certified Vines

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Slow Wine Guide, Part 2: Organic and BD Producers' "Great Wines" From Certified Vines

"GREAT WINES" FROM ORGANIC OR BD VINES

Fourteen wines from certified vineyards in the U.S. received the prestigious designation of Great Wine from Slow Wine in its 2019 Guide.

In particular, three remarkably young producers appear on this list:
• Analemma, in Oregon, for its Mencia (a Spanish grape) from the Columbia Gorge.
• Grimm's Bluff, in Santa Barbara County's Happy Canyon appellation, for its second vintage of its estate Cab.
• Solminer, also in Santa Barbara County, was recognized for its Rubellite Syrah made with carbonic maceration.

All three are Biodynamic vineyards and the first two wines were featured at the International Biodynamic Wine Conference last year. (Solminer was certified just after the conference).

This kind of recognition for these new producers is unprecedented. And a tribute to high farming and winemaking standards.

Bordeaux Blend
• Eisele Vineyard - Altagracia
Partially BD estate wine, partially purchases fruit.
(Note: the price was listed in error in the guide at $66 - a girl can only dream that it's $66. Luckily it's $25 a glass at a Calistoga hotel near the winery.)

Cabernet Sauvignon
• Grgich Hills Estate - Estate
A Napa cab that isn't $100! (It's $71).
• Grimm's Bluff - Estate | BD
This is a breakthrough for a young BD producer - Congrats! And well deserved recognition. Biodynamic vineyard manager Philippe Coderey planted these vines not so long ago, and look what the result is. This is only the second vintage from this estate.
• Heitz - Martha's Vineyard
One of the most decorated wines from the U.S. for decades.
• Ridge Vineyards - Estate (not the Monte Bello)
(Happy to have two cases of this aging in my cellar)

Mencia
• Analemma Wines | BD
Another big surprise win! Congrats!

Pinot Noir
• Brick House Vineyards | Evelyn's BD
Mom (Evelyn) must be proud!
• Eyrie Vineyards - Original Vines
The classic.
• Radio-Coteau - Terra Neuma | BD
Another one of my personal favorites. Swoonworthy.

Red Rhone Blend
• Tablas Creek - Esprit de Tablas | BD
The bet on finding a place to grow mourvedre paid off.

Syrah
• Solminer - Rubellite (carbonic maceration)
Only 100 cases made.

White Alsatian Blend
• Robert Sinskey Vineyards
One of my favorite whites from Napa.

Zinfandel
• Winery Sixteen 600
Only 84 cases made.

Sparkling
Soter Vineyards - Mineral Ranch Brut Rosé | BD

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Wines We Cover

We publish information about wines grown from certified organic or Biodynamic vineyards that are generally made with sulfites (which are usually added in small amounts to preserve the wine).

That includes these certification types:

ORGANIC WINE CERTIFICATIONS

• Made with Organic Grapes

Vineyards: certified organic

Vinification: less than 100 ppm of sulfites (i.e. a normal range)

Winery: certified organic facility

Labeling: front or back label

• Ingredients: Organic Grapes

Vineyards: certified organic

Vinification: up to 350 ppm of sulfites (same as for any non organic wine)

Labeling: back label only

BIODYNAMIC® CERTIFICATIONS

• Biodynamic Wine

Vineyards: certified biodynamic

Yeasts: native

Vinification: less than 100 ppm of sulfites; no additives of any kind

Winery: certified biodynamic facility

Labeling: front or back label; Demeter logo may appear

• Made with Biodynamic Grapes

Vineyards: certified biodynamic

Yeasts: native or organic

Vinification: less than 100 ppm of sulfites; limited number of additives permitted

Winery: certified biodynamic facility

Labeling: front or back

Note: unlike organically grown wines, for which there is a category called "Ingredients: Organic Grapes," wines sourced from biodynamic grapes may not make any biodynamic claim on the bottle label. Bottle labeling is reserved for Demeter certified wines only.

SULFITES IN CONTEXT

According to U.C. Davis, the average among all wines in the U.S. (as well as globally) is 80 ppm.

WHAT THE USDA CALLS ORGANIC WINES

Unlike any other nation, the U.S. oddly imposes a no sulfite restriction on wines in order for them to be called Organic Wine. These wines are also called NSA or NAS wines (which stands for "No Sulfites Added" or "No Added Sulfites.")

From the above description, one can see that there are in fact three types of organically grown wines:

1. Organic Wine (less than 15% of all organically grown wine)

2. Made with Organic Grapes

3. Ingredients: Organic Grapes

The vast majority of wines from organic grapes are labeled Made with Organic Grapes, Ingredients: Organic Grapes or are blended with nonorganic grapes and unlabeled.

Fine winemakers do not generally make wine without sulfites and a number of large wine retailers like BevMo do not sell wine in the category of "USDA Organic Wine."

With rare exceptions, this blog does not cover what the USDA calls "Organic Wine."

We are hopeful that the USDA will revise the categorization of organically grown wines and make NSA or NAS wines a category of their own.

This would put the U.S. in accord with the rest of the world, where "Organic Wine" means a wine from certified grapes made within limits on sulfites (generally under 100-150 ppm).

Organic Wines Uncorked

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Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Slow Wine Guide, Part 2: Organic and BD Producers' "Great Wines" From Certified Vines

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