Producer >
Alex Krause and John Locke founded Birichino in Santa Cruz in 2008. Drawing on a combined four decades making wine in California, France, Italy, and beyond, they are focused on attaining the perfect balance of perfume, poise, and puckishness. Sourcing from a number of carefully farmed, family-owned, own-rooted 19th and early 20th century vineyards (and a few from the late disco era) planted by and large in more moderate, marine-influenced climates, their preoccupation is to safeguard the quality and vibrance of their raw materials. Their preference is for minimal intervention, most often favouring native fermentations, employing stainless or neutral barrels, minimal racking and fining, and avoiding filtration altogether when possible. But most critically, their aim is to make delicious wines that give pleasure, revitalize, and revive.
Viticulture >
This historic 100 hectare property lies 3.5 kilometres north of Calistoga, at the base of Mount St. Helena. The region lies on a complex terroir with a mixture of alluvial and volcanic soils, some on the flat, some on steeply sided hillsides. Extending out from the Napa River is the alluvial soil, the most prevalent type on the property. In the back and outside areas of the vineyard are volcanic soils, formed by ancient lava flows caused by tectonic uplifting. Sustainable farming is practised avoiding the use of any chemical fertilisers. Instead organic chicken manure and compost made with the previous season`s pomace - seeds, stems and grape skins left after crushing is used. Ladybirds are used to combat unwanted pests, and light ploughing is done to keep the vineyard clean and free from weeds. Harvesting is carried out at night to preserve the fruit.
Winemaking >
The Bechthold Cinsault and Besson grenache and Llttle Big Block Mourvedre all hail from late 19th century or early 20th century vineayrds. Bechthold and Little Big Block from 1886 and 1895, Besson from 1910. All are bush vines, famred without irrigation, and Becthold and Besson also farmed orgnaically, though without ceritfication. All 3 are also farmed without irrigation.
Rokurokubi & Inugami
Same approach here- night picks with lights for the Mourvedre and Cinsault from vineyards planted in 1895 and 1886, and early morning pick for that Grenache. Mourvedre stem inclusion of about 15%, Grenache about 20%, and Cinsault almost entirely destemmed for an average of about 18%. Fermentation again native in stainless, pressed off fairly early, and down to old barriques for mourvedre and puncheon for grenache and cinsault for some 10 months before racking /assembling in the bottling tank. Unfiltered, unfined which is true for every wine we can get away with that on- with careful clean racking and as long as a wine has gone through ML and finished primary fermentation (no residual sugar, which is everything, really) we don’t need to risk stripping the wine by filtering or fining, so we don’t.
Mourvèdre
Red
13.5
UNITED STATES
12
Cork
Arpent Birichino
Vegan
Vegetarian 
Fact Sheet
