SONOMA | California
Martha Stoumen Wines was founded upon the desire to recapture a farming and winemaking culture that has all but faded away: a winemaking culture of patience.
After 8 years apprenticing around the world, Martha set out as a self-funded, first generation winemaker to answer the question, “What does California taste like?” In this little corner of Northern California, Mediterranean grapes thrive and healthy vineyards allow for the creation of joyful balanced wines. The wines are made from unexpected varietals and offer new takes on California classics. They do things the right way even if it’s not the easy. Of the nearly two dozen wines we make every year, blends and flavours change but the desire to share the simple pleasures of natural wine remains the same.
~2022 POST FLIRTATION WHITE~
30% Vermentino, 27% Roussanne, 25% Marsanne, 18% Muscat blanc.
Marsanne, Roussanne, and Muscat blanc tumbled in the press to get just a hint of skin contact before pressing, then co-fermented and aged on fine lees in stainless steel. Vermentino pressed immediately and fermented separately in stainless steel. Aged together on fine lees for 6 months before bottling. Unfined. Unfiltered. Sediment expected.
This refreshing blend tastes like straight up lemonade served with a hint of citrahops. Lively aromas of ocean air mingle with a touch of lemon skin oil for a libation that wants to meet you where you’re at.
POST FLIRTATION WHITE | 12 x 750ml | SKU #511145 | $33.61
~2022 POST FLIRTATION ROSÉ~
50% Carignan, 50% Colombard.
New for ‘22: a co-fermentation of Ricetti Carignan and Colombard! These vines were planted in the 1940s and are grown in neighbouring rows.
Direct-to-press Colombard was settled overnight and then racked off gross juice lees into a stainless steel tank. Carignan harvested a few days later, whole clusters were loaded into the press, briefly tumbled, and then left to macerate on skins overnight before pressing the following morning. The pressed Carignan juice was then racked into the just-fermenting Colombard tank to begin cofermentation. Fermented completely dry and racked off heavier lees at the end of fermentation. Aged in neutral vessels for 6 months before bottling. Unfined. Unfiltered. Sediment expected.
POST FLIRTATION ROSÉ | 12 x 750ml | SKU #396393 | $34.86
~2022 POST FLIRTATION RED~~
62% Zinfandel, 34% Carignan, 3% Pinot noir, 1% Petite Sirah.
Zinfandel (95% destemmed, 5% whole-cluster), Carignan, Pinot noir, and Petite Sirah (100% wholecluster); each fermented separately and aged in both stainless steel and neutral oak barrique for 6 months. Unfined. Lightly filtered before blending and bottling. Sediment expected.
This concentrated kitchen chameleon carries the banner for California crowd-pleasers. Year after year, excellent sourcing and careful blending yield a heart-warming wine that’s at home in a bustling hearth. This vintage heralds radiant aromas of yeasty chocolate and a hint of rose.
POST FLIRTATION RED | 12 x 750ml | SKU #396396 | $34.86
~2022 NERO D’AVOLA ROSATO~
Vino di una notte… This translates to ‘one night wine’ and refers to the technique of crushing grapes and leaving them to macerate on skins (and in this case, stems) in their own juice overnight, adding color, texture, and complexity. Martha loves using this technique with Nero d’Avola because it produces a wine that falls between rosé and a red wine—zippy and bright like a rosé but textured and robust like a red wine.
New for 2022, we co-fermented the youngest dry-farmed Nero d’Avola vines at Bricarelli Ranch with the adjacent rows of Negroamaro and bottled with 9 g/L residual sugar. Technically this rosato is a “dry” wine with less than 1% remaining sugar, but that little touch of sweetness adds body and a stronger wild strawberry core to a perennial favorite cuvée.
NERO D’AVOLA ROSATO | 12 x 750ml | SKU #422681 | $42.79
~2021 RICETTI VINEYARD CARIGNAN~
The Ricetti family planted this plot in the 1940s and through the ups and downs over many decades, the fact that these 75-year-old head-trained Carignan vines continue to persevere—and shine!—is remarkable and again highlights just how hard farming is. A late frost in 2020 severely limited the 2021 yield from this vineyard and made harvesting feel more like a multiple-day scavenger hunt (some vines produced ample fruit, some not at all). Carignan holds a special place in Martha’s portfolio as one of California’s shining underdog varietals.
Whole clusters of Carignan fermented in stainless steel. A mixture of punchdowns and pumpovers were used to gently extract tannin. Pressed prior to dryness and aged in neutral oak barrique for 9 months. Unfined. Unfiltered. Sediment expected.
RICETTI CARIGNAN | 12 x 750ml | SKU #281970 | $44.55
~2022 MENDOCINO BENCHLANDS~
40% Petite Sirah, 30% Zinfandel, 20% Nero d’Avola, 4% Valdiguié, 4% Colombard, 2% Carignan.
Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, and Nero d’Avola were each fermented separately in small batches while the Carignan, Valdiguié, and Colombard grapes were harvested and co-fermented as one lot (red and white grapes together!). The components were kept separate after pressing and aged in neutral oak barrique. Racked, blended, and bottled after 6 months. Unfined. Unfiltered. Sediment expected.
Stimulating aromas of bitter orange peel tie this buoyant bundle of fruity balloons to the vespa handle as you float/zip/sail/drift into the aperitivo hour of your dreams. Drink chilled.