< Tasting Notes

Wine for Those Lovely May Flowers
- May 2026

If last month was for April showers, shouldn’t we present some wines to honor May flowers?
Doesn’t one good turn deserve another?
The answer is a resounding yes.
So here are some stunners for you to enjoy as Seattle starts to get that summer air in its step!

(**NOTE - Links are embedded in each winemaker’s names to direct you to their respective websites. Know thy vintner!**)

FORLORN HOPE 'Queen of the Sierra' Co-Ferment 2023 * Calaveras County, Sierra Foothills, California
Matthew Rorick founded Forlorn Hope in 2005 after an unconventional route into wine that included repairing submarine telescopes for the United States Navy, riding skateboards professionally, and beginning graduate studies in anthropology at the University of Chicago. His grandfather introduced him to wine properly after his Navy service, maintaining a well-stocked European cellar and insisting on multiple bottles at dinner to debate which paired best with the meal. That education stuck. In 2013, Rorick purchased the Rorick Heritage Vineyard in Calaveras County near Murphys, an 80-acre estate at 2,000 feet elevation first ranched by the Shaw family in 1844. The site had been planted by Barden Stevenot in the 1960s and 1970s, including own-rooted Wente Chardonnay from 1974 that still remains today, making Stevenot the godfather of modern Calaveras County winegrowing. Rorick converted the property to organic farming immediately upon purchase and tends the vineyard with manager Demetrio Nava, who has worked the site for over 15 years. The winery name comes from the Dutch verloren hoop, meaning lost troop, given to soldiers who volunteered to lead charges directly into enemy defenses. Their chances were slim but the glory ensured no shortage of volunteers. As Rorick puts it: at Matthew Rorick Wines, we love the longshots, we love the outsiders, the lost causes, the people and projects and ideas abandoned as not having a chance in the world.

Queen of the Sierra represents Rorick's most playful expression of the estate, where serious winemaking meets joyful experimentation. The 2023 Co-Ferment takes red and white grapes picked at the same time and ferments them together in open top vessels, creating what dealers describe as adult kool-aid because it refuses categorization as red, white, rosé, or orange. The varieties paired themselves by historical region of origin: Albariño fermented with Tempranillo, Barbera with Vermentino, Chenin Blanc with Pineau d'Aunis, Trousseau with Chardonnay, and in homage to 1880s California viticulture, Zinfandel with Verdelho. Rorick pressed the ferments at varying stages from halfway dry to fully dry depending on taste and tannin grip, then transferred them to neutral 227-liter barrels or stainless steel for aging. The vineyard sits on soils comprised of schist layered over dolomite-rich limestone, which imparts the electric mineral tension that defines all Forlorn Hope wines. Alpine growing season combined with limestone creates the house style: beautiful aromatics, textural presence, and crackling natural acidity. The wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered at the end of May 2024 with nothing added to the must or wine except minimal sulfur. No new oak touches anything at Forlorn Hope, no cultured yeast or malolactic bacteria, no water or tartaric acid or enzymes or nutrients. If the site is right and the picking is right, nothing needs adjustment.

NERD ALERT!! - Co-fermentation represents one of winemaking's oldest techniques, predating the practice of separating varieties entirely. Before modern viticulture established monoculture vineyards, field blends were standard practice across Europe, with different varieties ripening at slightly different times and getting picked and fermented together based on harvest logistics rather than varietal purity. Rorick's approach here channels that historical pragmatism while adding intentionality about which varieties share fermentation vessels. The geographic pairing logic creates fascinating flavor synergies: Iberian varieties Albariño and Tempranillo share similar tannin and acid structures despite different colors, while Italian Barbera and Vermentino both express bright acidity and herbal notes. The Zinfandel and Verdelho pairing pays homage to California's earliest wine history, when both varieties were among the most widely planted in the state during the Gold Rush era. Verdelho in particular has documented presence in California since the late 1800s, though many assumed it was a relative newcomer. Rorick's dedication to rare varieties extends across the property: the vineyard now contains over 20 different grape types with another 10 to 15 waiting at nurseries. This encyclopedic approach to viticulture makes Rorick Heritage Vineyard a living laboratory for California's viticultural potential beyond the narrow mainstream.

Grape(s) - Totally crazy field blend - Albariño, Tempranillo, Barbera, Vermentino, Chenin Blanc, Pineau d'Aunis, Trousseau, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Verdelho

Flavors - Red berry fruit dominates with juicy, crisp acidity. Fresh and light with savory limestone tang from the estate soils and cold mountain nights. The aromatic exuberance of white varieties meets the bright fruit flavors of reds, landing somewhere between all categories with lighter tannins than regular red and more flavor than rosé.

Serving - The wine's versatility makes it dangerously easy to drink in almost any context. Chill it down for backyard gatherings, weekend barbecues, or lazy afternoons when you want something refreshing that won't demand too much attention. The juicy fruit and bright acidity work with grilled chicken, charcuterie boards, tacos, pizza, or honestly just about anything you might eat casually with friends.

** AUDIOPHILE LP OF THE MONTH CLUB VINYL**

Album Pairing - OPEN MIKE EAGLE - ‘Brick Body Kids Still Daydream’ - 2017 * This concept album chronicles the life cycle of Chicago's Robert Taylor Homes, a massive public housing project on the South Side where Mike Eagle grew up with his grandparents. The buildings were demolished completely in 2007, scattering families that had lived under the same roof for three generations, condemned by bureaucrats and faceless cranes and public indifference. Eagle personifies the buildings and brings them back to life, quite literally with arms and eyes and a head like the dome of a stadium, fighting until the last brick crumbles. The album refuses simple categorization just like this wine refuses to be red or white or rosé or orange. Both find beauty and humanity in places others wrote off as lost causes. Forlorn Hope's entire philosophy centers on loving the longshots, the outsiders, the abandoned projects that others said had no chance, which mirrors perfectly the album's mission to restore dignity and complexity to a place reduced to one-dimensional narratives about despair. The co-fermentation brings together varieties from different historical regions that supposedly don't belong together, just as the album insists on the full humanity of communities society tried to simplify and scatter. Eagle slips through grey areas throughout the record, noting that things aren't all good but exist on gradients, which captures the wine's refusal to land cleanly in any category. Both express painful nostalgia alongside genuine joy. Both prove that building something meaningful requires working with what history gives you rather than erasing it. The album's closing track devastates: they blew up my auntie's building, put out her great grandchildren, who else in America deserves to have that feeling, where else in America will they blow up your village. That displacement echoes in every glass of wine made from varieties rescued from obscurity, given new life in unexpected combinations on California mountainsides.

BODEGAS KRONTIRAS 'Natural' Malbec 2024 * Maipú, Mendoza, Argentina
Constantinos Krontiras and Silvina Macipe-Krontiras founded Bodegas Krontiras in 2004 after Constantinos, who was born in Greece, fell in love with both Argentina and Silvina during travels. The couple saw in Mendoza's high altitude landscape something that reminded them of Greece, particularly the majestic views of Luján de Cuyo at the foot of the Andes. They purchased an ancient vineyard in the Perdriel sector of Luján de Cuyo with vines dating back 120 years, then established a new vineyard in their Villa Seca property in Maipú. Both sites were rapidly converted to organic farming in 2009, then became fully biodynamic in 2012, making Krontiras one of the first wineries in Argentina to achieve Demeter certification. The winery building itself was designed by Silvina according to biodynamic principles, using sacred geometry based on the golden ratio and pi to create what they believe is an optimal environment for winemaking and aging. Natural insulating materials like straw were incorporated throughout to minimize energy use and ensure rational use of natural resources. Winemaker Maricruz Antolín has managed the estate since 2008 and is widely regarded as a rising star of the Argentine wine scene, with Tim Atkin MW naming her a talent to watch. Greek consultant winemaker Panos Zoumboulis brought biodynamic practices to the estate and continues to advise alongside his son Spyros. The project represents a cultural fusion: expressing Argentine terroir through Greek philosophical principles.

The Natural Malbec represents Krontiras's most radical statement, a wine made without any sulfur additions at any stage of production. They began experimenting with zero-sulfur wines in 2015, spending two years perfecting the approach before releasing this bottling in 2017. The grapes come from their Villa Seca vineyard in Maipú, planted in 2005 on soils that benefit from both organic and biodynamic farming. The fruit undergoes careful double hand selection at both cluster and individual grape level before fermentation in stainless steel tanks using only wild yeasts that exist naturally on the grape skins. The wine sees no oak aging, preserving the pure fruit expression and mineral character from the high altitude vineyard. Without sulfur as a preservative and antioxidant, the winemaking must be impeccably clean to prevent spoilage, which means pristine fruit, meticulous sanitation, and careful temperature control throughout fermentation. The resulting wine shows remarkable stability and purity, proving that Mendoza's intense sunlight, low humidity, and high altitude create grapes of extraordinary quality that can speak for themselves without chemical intervention. At 13 to 14 percent alcohol, the wine shows ripeness without heaviness, and the decision to skip oak allows the site's character to shine through unfiltered.

NERD ALERT!! - Making wine without added sulfur represents one of natural winemaking's greatest challenges. Sulfur dioxide has been used in winemaking for centuries as both a preservative and antioxidant, preventing unwanted microbial growth and protecting wine from oxidation. Removing it entirely requires near-perfect conditions: immaculate fruit with no rot or damage, scrupulously clean winery equipment, careful temperature management, and often a willingness to accept shorter shelf life. The practice remains controversial even within natural wine circles, with some winemakers arguing that small sulfur additions actually allow for less intervention overall by preventing problems that would otherwise require corrective measures. Krontiras's success with zero-sulfur Malbec demonstrates that Argentina's climate provides significant advantages. The combination of high altitude, intense UV radiation, low humidity, and large diurnal temperature swings creates grapes with naturally high polyphenol levels and thick skins that provide inherent stability. The biodynamic farming further strengthens vine health and grape quality. Interestingly, many of Krontiras's vineyards remain ungrafted on their own roots, a rarity in modern viticulture but possible in Argentina where phylloxera and other soil-borne diseases never colonized certain isolated valleys. This allows for what some argue is a purer expression of terroir without the influence of rootstock selection.

Grape(s) - 100% Malbec

Flavors - Dense and dark with aromatic blackberry, spice, ripe raspberry, cherry syrup, licorice, dried herbs, nettle, and sour cherry. The palate shows smooth, medium body with ripe forest fruits, cranberry, and a yogurt-like creaminess. Grainy, mouth-coating tannins add grip while cranberry and subtle green apple lend freshness. Fleshy, lifted fruit with clean, pure style and persistent, layered finish. Gentle warmth without heaviness.

Serving - The wine's dense fruit and structured tannins make it a perfect match for grilled meats, particularly Argentine-style asado with chimichurri. The licorice and herb notes complement beef brisket, smoked short ribs, or any preparation with char and smoke. The creaminess in the palate works beautifully with aged hard cheeses, while the acidity cuts through rich meat dishes and fatty cuts. Try it with chorizo, grilled lamb, or mushroom preparations that echo the earthy, savory character.

Album Pairing - MANU CHAU – ‘Clandestino’ - 1998 * The album title translates to clandestine or underground, which perfectly captures what Constantinos and Silvina Krontiras were doing when they began experimenting with zero-sulfur winemaking in 2015. Operating beneath the surface of conventional wine production, making something radical that most said couldn't work, just as Manu Chao recorded this breakthrough solo album across multiple countries outside traditional studio systems. Both embody cultural fusion at their core. Manu Chao is the son of Spanish immigrants in Paris, singing in Spanish, French, English, Portuguese, and Arabic, creating street music that belongs everywhere and nowhere. The Krontiras story mirrors this perfectly: a Greek couple who saw in Mendoza's landscape something that reminded them of home, building a winery according to sacred geometry principles while making Argentine Malbec. The album was recorded during Manu's nomadic travels, pieced together in various countries with whatever equipment was available, embracing imperfection and spontaneity. That DIY aesthetic translates directly to minimal intervention winemaking, trusting the grapes and natural processes rather than correcting and controlling. The political consciousness runs through both. Manu's songs address immigration, displacement, and social justice without losing their joyful, danceable energy. Choosing biodynamic farming and zero-sulfur production represents a political statement about industrial agriculture and chemical dependence, but the resulting wine remains approachable and delicious rather than difficult or funky. Mediterranean roots transplanted to new world soil, multiple languages meeting in single expression, underground methods producing something life-affirming. The dense, dark fruit in the wine matches the album's layered grooves, while the zero-sulfur purity echoes the raw, unpolished production. Both prove that the most authentic expressions often come from working outside the system.

CHAPUIS ET CHAPUIS Aligoté 2017 * Bourgogne, France
Brothers Jean-Guillaume and Romain Chapuis grew up among the vines of Aloxe-Corton in Burgundy, part of a winemaking family that shaped their understanding of the region from childhood. In 2009, they decided to combine their skills and passion to create wines they had long dreamed of making, initially working out of a small cellar in Pommard before building their own facility in the commune of Ladoix-Serrigny in the Côte de Beaune. Romain, the younger brother, trained as an oenologist and remained a passionate student long after formal education ended, working at domaines throughout France including Alsace, Bordeaux, and Beaujolais, plus stints in Lebanon and New Zealand. After his return to Burgundy, he worked as Philippe Pacalet's top cellar master, learning natural winemaking techniques from one of the movement's pioneers. The brothers operate under two labels: Chapuis Frères for their classic cuvées with conventional winemaking, and Chapuis et Chapuis for their natural wines made without added sulfites. They currently farm approximately four hectares spread across prestigious sites including Chorey-lès-Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune, Aloxe-Corton Premier Cru, Corton Grand Cru, and Corton-Charlemagne. They also source fruit from like-minded organic growers throughout the region. Their approach represents what some call modern Burgundy: straightforward, easy-to-drink wines that respect terroirs without pretension, rising stars whose reputation grows each vintage.

This Aligoté comes from carefully selected parcels in Burgundy farmed using organic methods, with fruit that undergoes spontaneous fermentation by native yeasts in barrel. The wine ages approximately six months in neutral oak before being bottled without fining or filtration, preserving the texture and aromatic complexity that makes Aligoté compelling when treated with the same care typically reserved for Chardonnay. Aligoté occupies an interesting position as Burgundy's other great white grape, once nearly equal to Chardonnay in plantings before phylloxera devastated French vineyards in the late 1800s. During replanting efforts, Chardonnay won out economically and Aligoté became relegated to worker's wine, family consumption, and the occasional appearance in Kir. The variety thrives in cooler sites and limestone soils, developing vibrant acidity and mineral character without the weight or oak influence associated with premium white Burgundy. The Chapuis brothers embrace Aligoté as part of their mission to make honest, unmanipulated wines that show what Burgundy offers beyond the grand cru hierarchy. The 2017 vintage represents a warmer year in the region, which gave the Aligoté additional ripeness while maintaining its characteristic freshness. Aligoté from quality producers can age surprisingly well, as this wine demonstrates. But it is drinking beautifully now, so crack it with friends this weekend!

NERD ALERT!! - The revival of interest in Aligoté represents a broader trend in Burgundy toward recognizing the value of the region's full viticultural heritage beyond Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. While Bouzeron gained its own appellation for Aligoté in 1998, recognizing the village's particularly well-suited limestone soils for the variety, most Aligoté simply carries the generic Bourgogne Aligoté designation regardless of source quality. This creates opportunity for savvy drinkers: Aligoté from top producers often provides incredible value compared to entry-level Bourgogne Blanc from the same domaine, sometimes at half the price despite coming from similar quality vineyards and receiving identical winemaking treatment. The variety's high natural acidity made it historically popular for sparkling wine production before Crémant de Bourgogne established stricter regulations. Ampelographers have traced Aligoté's parentage to a natural crossing between Pinot and Gouais Blanc, the same parentage as Chardonnay, making the two varieties half-siblings. This explains some similarities in their mineral character and ability to express limestone terroir, though Aligoté typically shows more citrus and green fruit notes while Chardonnay tends toward orchard fruits and richer texture. The Chapuis brothers' decision to bottle this as Chapuis et Chapuis rather than Chapuis Frères signals its natural winemaking approach, positioning it for the growing audience seeking wines made with minimal intervention from producers they trust.

Grape(s) - 100% Aligoté

Flavors - Bright citrus and green apple with wet stone minerality and a light herbal quality. The palate shows vibrant acidity, clean fruit, and a tangy, refreshing character. Light to medium body with a crisp, mineral-driven finish.

Serving - The wine's bright acidity and citrus notes complement grilled or poached fish beautifully, while the crisp profile cuts through butter-based sauces like beurre blanc or hollandaise. The bottle aging makes this a perfect wine for classic Burgundian preparations like jambon persillé, gougères, or escargots. The wine's refreshing quality makes it ideal for warm weather drinking or as an aperitif.

Album Pairing - THE WOOD BROTHERS – ‘One Drop of Truth’- 2018 * Two brothers combining their skills to make something warm and authentic, recorded mostly live with minimal overdubs in the Muscle Shoals area. Oliver Wood and Chris Wood bring different backgrounds together just as Jean-Guillaume and Romain Chapuis merged their experiences to create wines they had long dreamed of making. The album title captures everything about natural winemaking philosophy: one drop of truth, nothing added or taken away, letting the purity of the source material speak without manipulation or correction. The Wood Brothers tracked these songs with that same spontaneous, organic energy that defines the Chapuis brothers' use of native yeasts and spontaneous fermentation. Both pairs operate with the kind of intuitive understanding that only comes from working closely with someone you trust completely, finishing each other's thoughts, knowing when to step forward and when to support. The soulful warmth in the music matches the sunshine-glossy character of the 2017 Aligoté, that vintage's extra ripeness bringing a honeyed quality while maintaining the grape's characteristic freshness. Aligoté exists as Burgundy's overlooked grape, the underdog that never gets the acclaim reserved for Chardonnay, just as The Wood Brothers built their career outside mainstream country and rock, creating Americana that refuses easy categorization. The unpretentious authenticity runs through both. The Chapuis brothers describe their vision as modern Burgundy: straightforward, easy-to-drink wines that respect terroirs without pretension. The Wood Brothers make rootsy soul music that feels both timeless and contemporary, accessible without dumbing down the craft. Romain worked as Philippe Pacalet's top cellar master, learning natural winemaking from one of the movement's pioneers, similar to how the Wood Brothers absorbed blues and soul traditions before creating their own voice. By 2018 when this album arrived, both sets of brothers had become rising stars in their fields, proving that staying true to organic principles and brotherhood can build something that lasts.

DAY WINES 'Johan Vineyard' Pinot Noir 2021 * Maranges, Côte de Beaune, Burgundy, France

Brianne Day sold everything she owned in 2006 and began traveling through wine regions worldwide, spending eight years visiting approximately 80 different areas and working harvests in Burgundy, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand. She re-established her home base in Oregon and worked at prestigious wineries including The Eyrie Vineyards and Brooks before founding Day Wines with the 2012 vintage, starting with just 125 cases. The operation has since grown to close to 20,000 cases annually, representing nearly 16,000 percent growth in a decade and establishing Day as one of Oregon's most innovative rising stars. While most Oregon producers focus primarily on Pinot Noir, Day embraces the state's incredible diversity, working with 25 different grape varieties from 32 vineyards across the Willamette Valley and Southern Oregon's Applegate Valley. She describes her approach through orchestral metaphor: a piano solo might be compared to Pinot Noir in terms of expressing specific music, but making wine from many varieties is like having a whole orchestra playing, showing different sides of a place. She sources fruit exclusively from growers utilizing biodynamic, organic, or sustainable vineyard practices, crafting wines with minimal intervention in the winery. Wine Enthusiast named her a 2017 40 Under 40 Tastemaker, and Willamette Week observed that no other local winemaker can translate a penchant for wild experimentation into such approachable wines. Her success attracted investors who believed in her vision, helping fuel the remarkable growth while maintaining quality and her distinctive style.

Johan Vineyard is an 85-acre Demeter-certified biodynamic site in the Willamette Valley, south of McMinnville and west of Salem, positioned squarely in the Van Duzer Corridor where Pacific Ocean breezes howl through a wide cut in the Coast Range every summer afternoon. This cooling influence suspends ripening in late afternoon and evening, preserving acidity within individual berries and making Johan almost always Day's last Pinot Noir pick of harvest despite relatively low elevation. The site sits primarily on marine sediment soils, ancient seabed that creates distinctive mineral character in the wines. Day fermented this Pinot Noir with 30 percent whole clusters using spontaneous fermentation by native yeasts, then aged it 22 months in French oak with 20 percent new barrels and 80 percent neutral. The wine was racked twice before being bottled unfined and unfiltered, preserving the textural richness and aromatic complexity. The benefit of biodynamic farming shows completely when standing in this healthy, alive vineyard where soil organisms and plant diversity create genuine ecosystem rather than monoculture. The resulting wine displays what Day describes as a lovely deep red berry core allied to a beguiling spice component that makes for classic southern Willamette profile. The tannins and acids show strident structure in youth, indicating long aging potential well beyond the typical Oregon Pinot Noir drinking window. The wine tastes like nature itself: wholesome, pure, with remarkable clarity of expression.

NERD ALERT!! - The Van Duzer Corridor represents one of Oregon's most distinctive mesoclimates, named for the gap in the Coast Range that funnels cool Pacific air directly into the Willamette Valley. These afternoon winds can reach substantial velocity during summer months, providing natural temperature moderation that extends hang time and preserves acidity even as sugars develop. The marine sediment soils at Johan Vineyard trace back millions of years when this area sat beneath an ancient sea, creating a completely different soil profile than the volcanic Jory series that defines many of the Willamette Valley's most famous vineyard sites. Marine sediment tends to produce wines with more pronounced mineral character and savory elements compared to the red fruit intensity typical of volcanic soils.

Grape(s) - 100% Pinot Noir

Flavors - Umami-driven aromas of turned earth, smoky violets, and ripe stewed strawberries lifted by evergreen tips and mint. The palate shows fresh red and black bramble fruits with chicory root, black tea, wild anise, and tart cranberry balanced against sweet strawberry and rosehips. Sharp acidity and pronounced mineral note on the finish. Medium body with a touch of grip and zingy freshness. Vibrant ruby color with youthful purple glint.

Serving - The wine's umami character and earthy aromatics make it exceptional with mushroom preparations, roasted root vegetables, or duck. The vibrant acidity and mineral backbone work beautifully with salmon, particularly when prepared with herbs or in richer preparations that benefit from the wine's cut. Classic Pinot Noir pairings always apply as well: roasted chicken, pork tenderloin, lamb, or aged hard cheeses.

Album Pairing - PHOEBE BRIDGERS – ‘Stranger in the Alps’ - 2017 * Brianne Day describes her approach to winemaking through orchestral metaphor: a piano solo might express specific music, but working with many grape varieties is like having a whole orchestra showing different sides of a place. This Pinot Noir from a single vineyard represents the piano solo in that analogy, and Phoebe Bridgers' debut album embodies exactly that kind of intimate, spare expression. Recorded when Bridgers was finding her voice as an artist, the album strips everything down to essentials: her vocals, minimal guitar and piano, vulnerable melodies that don't hide behind production tricks or layers. Tracks like Smoke Signals and Scott Street feel like they're happening in the room with you, the same wholesome purity that makes people describe this Pinot Noir as tasting like nature itself. The album title captures something essential about both artist and winemaker. Bridgers was a stranger finding her place in the music world, just as Day sold everything she owned in 2006 and spent eight years traveling through 80 wine regions before establishing herself in Oregon. Both built something remarkable from that outsider perspective, refusing to follow conventional paths. The space and air in Bridgers' production mirrors the Van Duzer Corridor winds that cool Johan Vineyard every afternoon, suspending ripening and preserving the wine's bright acidity and mineral character. The patient, quiet power in songs like Funeral and Demi Moore reflects the ancient marine sediment soils beneath the vines, millions of years of seabed compressed into terroir. This was Bridgers' 125-case moment, her beginning, released the same year Day was growing from cult producer to rising star. Both prove that sometimes the most affecting expressions come from knowing what to leave out rather than what to add.

REMINDERS

• To celebrate our valued club members we offer 20% off all food ordered on the day you pick-up. 

• If you can not pick up on the pick up dates please contact mckay@barmiriam.com and we will hold your allotment offsite and can arrange for a future pick up.

• Email mckay@barmiriam.com to buy more single bottles or a case with special club pricing.

• Queen Anne Bottle Shop is open Tuesday-Saturday from 3:00pm — 8:00pm.

• Wine pairs best with friends. Tell your friends.