There’s still a lot of debate in the wine world about “natural wine.” One debate centers on which criteria a wine must meet to be considered Natural (capital ‘N’ intentional). Another, of course, centers on whether Natural Wines are good or not. I’ll add my two cents: I can’t see how anyone could be “against” Natural Wine on a conceptual level.
To drink something sourced from organically (i.e. non-chemically) farmed fruit, to which nothing has been added during its vinification and aging (including, but not limited to, commercial yeasts or sulfur), is the obvious healthful—and preferable—choice. But as the “anti” Natural Wine faction repeatedly asserts, many wines in the category are fatally flawed—which is true—meaning you either reject those wines or adjust your definition of what “good” is to support a noble cause. Are some Natural Wine lovers exalting the taste of “terroir” when in fact they’re tasting a serious fault? Yes. But are some experts dismissing an entire category out of hand when there are so many successful—and thrilling—Natural Wines out there? Absolutely. Today’s bottle, from Avi Deixler’s upstart project, Absentee Wines, is a successful—and thrilling—marriage of ambition and execution. It has the energy and fruit purity of some of the benchmark Natural Wines of Beaujolais and the Loire, albeit with broader, Californian shoulders. You may come for the naturalness, but you’ll stay for the deliciousness!
(Please note: This wine should not be shipped long distances in warm weather)
This 2016, labeled simply “California Red Wine,” is some of the first commercially available wine from Absentee, which 30-year-old Avi Deixler founded just a few years ago. His garage-scale winery is housed in a former dairy barn in Point Reyes Station, California, which is hardly the heart of California wine country: This is West Marin County, where very few vineyards exist despite it being (a) a very favorable environment for viticulture; (b) an officially recognized AVA; and (c) blessed with a tremendous amount of open space protected under an agricultural land trust. Most of this protected land is used for cattle ranching, but Deixler successfully petitioned the state to plant vines near Point Reyes, which he’s dubbed the North Marin Wine District (NMWD). Today’s wine, however, is sourced from the organically farmed Poor Ranch in Mendocino County; Deixler manages “his” vines himself and crafted this 2016 “Red” from equal parts Carignane, Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Abouriou, a grape native to southwest France that’s known as “Early Burgundy” in California.
This is really the ultimate in garagiste winemaking, minus any fancy equipment or shortcuts: Deixler producers about 400 cases of wine in total right now; he fermented “Red” in oak barrels whose interiors he shaved by hand and “painted” with grape must to line them with a natural protective coating. Fermentation was inoculated by ambient yeasts only, and after 18 months’ aging in used French oak barrels, the wine was bottled unfined, unfiltered, and without any addition of sulfur dioxide (SO2).
In fact, no SO2 was used at any stage of this wine’s production, which is perhaps the biggest challenge of natural winemaking. SO2 is both an anti-oxidant and a disinfectant, so its use, even in small doses, can prevent a lot of headaches. To commit to NOT using it means working extra clean, lest bacterial flavors and aromas creep into the finished wine and ruin it. But I’ll say this: When you get it right, as Deixler did here, there’s an inimitable vibrancy to these wines. They feel alive in a way you do not need to be “expert” to recognize.
In the glass, Absentee’s 2016 Red is a nearly opaque dark ruby moving to pink and garnet hues at the rim, with a hint of cloudiness from being bottled unfiltered (dissolved solids being valuable anti-oxidants in the absence of sulfur). The aromas are a fresh explosion of ripe blue/black fruits framed by florals, herbs, and underbrush. Notes of wild blackberry, red and black currant, boysenberry, sandalwood, and lavender carry through to the rich, layered, fruit-forward palate, which is balanced with perfect, mouth-watering freshness, crushed-stone minerality and a light dusting of tannin. In one moment, it recalls a warm-vintage Cru Beaujolais, in another the
garrique-accented lusciousness of serious Rhône reds. This wine is currently firing on all cylinders and perfectly drinkable now: I’d suggest decanting it about 30-45 minutes before serving in large Burgundy stems, and, as noted above, I’d also advise against shipping it anywhere warm right now—use our “Summer Hold” option to ensure this wine is shipped to you with minimal/no temperature variations, to guard against any potential damage to the wine in transit. As summer gives way to fall here in Northern California, this wine is really the perfect weight for outdoor dining/drinking: Check it out next to the attached recipe for spice-rubbed tri-tip or enjoy it on its own at a coolish 60 degrees and watch it evolve in the glass—the initial prickle blows off and the wine expands and softens on the palate, suggesting positive evolution in the bottle should you choose to lay some down. It should only improve and mellow over the next 3-5 years. Cheers!
