Slamdance Koöperatieve Red Table Wine 2020 (750ml)

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Price: $42.95

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Producer	Slamdance Koöperatieve
Country	USA
Region	California
Varietal	Cinsault,  Valdiguie,  Negrette
Vintage	2020
Sku	82417
Size	750ml

 

Daniel Callan, theowner and mastermind behind Slamdance began his journey into wienmaking almost by accident, working an odd job as harvest intern at a winery in Virginia.  After his first harvest in the US, he began travelling and working every harvest he could, this led him to South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.  While in the southern hemisphere he worked at an array of different wineries whose philosophies were on both ends of the spectrum in terms of quality vs quantity and began cementing what would become his wine making mentality.  Eventually he found himself back in the states, working harvest in Paso Robles, California with Sherman Thatcher, he would go on to make wine with Thatcher for ten more vintages.  This gave Callan a view of the fruit that he was working with that was unlike many who only work at the same vineyards for one or two seasons.  He saw how the flavors developed and changed over time and really got to see changes he implemented in the vineyard effect the final product years down the line. 

He returned to the southern hemisphere where he worked a harvest with Chris Alheit, who made wine from old bush vined, dry farmed Chenin Blanc and Semillon.  This harvest gave him the idea that would drive Slamdance, heritage grapes and wine.  In his own words, "Chris locked on to this idea of making what he called "heritage wines". He had seen so many vineyards planted to Chenin Blanc, Cinsault, and other varieties pulled out to replant modern trellised, irrigated vineyards of Merlot, Cabernet, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay. I think there was some real resentment there. That feeling drove him to preserve some of these old vineyards by working with the farmers, making sure they were getting fair prices, and by making wines that would celebrate those old vineyards. That concept was unique to me. I didn't see anyone really doing that in California. So that was the beginning of Slamdance."

With this new found respect for older, less known grape varietals, he returned to California and began sourcing grapes from vineyards producing obscure varietals that were all but forgotten.  This vintage of Slamdance contains Valdiguié, Negrette, and Cinsault.  Every year he continues to add to this blend ashe discovers other near forgotten varietals that were once on the forefront of the California winemaking industry. 

Tasting Notes

"Deep, vivid magenta. Vibrant, spice-tinged red and blue fruit scents, along with building floral and succulent herb overtones. Intense, sharply focused black raspberry, boysenberry and bitter cherry flavors turn sweeter through the back half. Shows excellent clarity and spicy thrust on a long, subtly tannic finish that strongly echoes the floral and blue fruit notes. "