Matt is a Radio-Coteau alumni on a new adventure pollinating, growing and fermenting North American and hybrid wine grapes in Sonoma, while listening to indigenous wisdom.

 

about the wine

The Rebel is named after Italian immigrant, Domenico Callegari who had the nonconformist idea of planting a small Baco Noir vineyard on the Sonoma Coast. Situated amongst soaring Red Tailed Hawks these vines are surrounded by giant Redwoods, flanked by Meadowfoam, an endemic flower, and grown in sandy Goldridge loam on a southeast facing slope. Known for it’s radical acidity, Baco Noir is a seedling of the late 1800’s from a wild American grape, Vitis Riparia pollinated by Folle Blanche. These iconoclastic vines are farmed completely by hand and without the use of any fungicides or herbicides whatsoever.

 

At the winery, 80% of the grapes were destemmed and fermented spontaneously with wild yeast. This portion was aged in used American oak barrels for approximately 8 months with minimal sulfur. The other 20% underwent carbonic fermentation in upright barrels for several weeks. This component was foot trod just before draining and pressing and aged separately in stainless steel without any sulfur additions. Everything was racked only once and blended together right before bottling.