“Popelouchum’’ is the name the indigenous Mutsun tribe of the San Juan Bautista area gave to their land, and the name I’ve adopted for our Estate vineyard and farm, located just outside the township and excitingly enough, directly abutting the San Andreas Fault. The alternative translation of the word is “paradise;” that descriptor is particularly apt, as the site is biotically rich, dreamlike and enchanting. You’ve undoubtedly heard winemakers gas on at great length about terroir-this and minerality-that. That sort of vit-chat can admittedly, sometimes grow a bit tedious, but at some point the jaded, or let’s just say, urbane, wine drinker does in fact come to yearn for the complexity and companionable interactivity that only a vin de terroir can provide.
Gentle Berserker, I humbly suggest that with all of the crazy fits, starts, turns and returns, I’ve arrived at a point in my career where, with the project of Popelouchum, I am finally making the wines that truly matter (at least to me), actual wines of place. A brief word (make that three) on what makes these wines so distinctive: Location, location, lo… It is no doubt the seismic activity of the site that has created such unique and diverse geology and pedology, but it is also the way that we are farming at Popelouchum that enhances the expression of place. San Juan Bautista does not enjoy a lot of rainfall, nor are we blessed with access to a productive aquifer; ergo, our vines are not particularly abundant with their crop. (I dream of someday achieving 2 tons/acre on the typically generous Grenache vines.) We haven’t applied for organic certification of the vineyard but do, of course, farm organically and practice no-till. Without getting too geeky about it, I believe that we were perhaps the very first adopters of the use of biochar, a supplement that greatly enhances the microbial life of the soil and the uptake of micronutrients, with the aim of the amplification of terroir. If you look at the vineyard, it does not look like a modern vineyard, rather more like one of a hundred years ago - head trained, three-dimensional vines, the size and scale of a human being, painstakingly cared for.
The winemaking is deceptively simple, unadorned and largely non-interventionist. We deploy indigenous yeast, allow for a complete malolactic fermentation and bottle the wines without filtration. For all of these reasons, the wines all express great persistence on the palate and in the cellar. They are built to last for many moons. The 2021 vintage represents just our second commercial release. The 2020 vintage sold out rather quickly and I expect the ‘21 and ‘22 to follow suit. In conclusion, this is a perfect opportunity for you to dip your toe in the water on the innovative project that is Popelouchum. More wines (in very small volumes) from truly exotic varieties 1 and wines made from genetically diverse plants that we have bred ourselves are on the way; you will want to stay abreast.
Especially for Berserker Day, we have created two special packs including a vertical of our two vintages of Popelouchum Blanc which consists of Grenache Gris and Grenache Blanc along with our current release of Pinot Noir! Our discounted 6-pack includes flat-rate shipping and our case-pack offers complimentary shipping and a taste of our limited release and first vintage of 2022 Popelouchum Cinsaut. bd15rhones bd15vertical
Click HERE for more information on the Berserkers Day Specials
https://www.popelouchum.com/shop
1 Can you say Ruchè (or Tibouren)?
P.S. I’m thrilled to be here.
