Ian Brand / P’tit Paysan
Ian Brand / P'tit Paysan
Ian Brand was named SF Chronicle winemaker of the year in 2018 for his outstanding work. Like many California winemakers today, Brand is drawn to the idea of what California wines were like in a bygone era. He sees this modern age as a race to technological mastery — clonal selections, vertical shoot positioning in vineyards, scientific advancements in the cellar. But did precision come at the expense of soulfulness? “It’s almost like there was this two-decade aberration,” he says. “And we gained a lot in terms of technical knowledge for farming and winemaking, but we kind of lost an idea of who we are, as a place.” His wines are a great fit for Nekter, as they are clean, fresh, well balanced, well priced and made with a European lightness of touch.
Click on wines below for further details and overview of tasting notes.
Location: Cab sourced from 2 vineyards: the 60 yr old Brigantino Vineyard originally planted for Almaden and the 45yr old Wheeler Ranch growing in calcareous alluvial deposits over the San Benito Arroyo. Petite Verdot from Paicines AVA, rocky alluvial deposits above the Tres Pinos arroyo. All vineyards experience warm days, cold nights typical of the Central Coast, allowing these late ripening Bordeaux varieties to be picked at high acidity and moderate sugars.
Winemaking: Fermented whole berry, (grapes that are de-stemmed), allowing slower extraction, of tannins into the must, within several lots. Pressed after approximately 20 days. Aged for 11 months on lees in mostly neutral barrels with a couple of new barrels sprinkled in.
Tasting Notes: Med-full bodied wine and low alcohol, allows nuances of dark black fruit, purple violets, and a slight hint of dried herbs to explode in the nose and on the palate. The combination of well-drained, alluvial soils, old vines, daytime heat, and nighttime cool, creates fruit that is uncommonly structured and ripe, yet fresh and mineral driven.
Nekter View: Excellent cool climate Chardonnay which is very much to Napa as Chablis is to Burgundy. Lemon zest and green apple skin with refresing acidity on the palate - lovely lengthy salinity on the finish to round off a very refined wine.
Winemaker vinification notes: Predominantly from a few vineyards at the base of Jack’s Hill, planted on the distinct iron oxide granite that dominates the east side of the Salinas Valley, directly east of Sleepy Hollow North. Clone 4 and 76 on 101-14 and 3309 rootstock, 35-year-old Wente clone on unknown rootstock (nobody remembers what it is). Also blended with small lots of Chardonnay clone 17 (Robert Young) from the northern Santa Lucia Highlands. All cool to cold climate. Picked at low brix and high acid. Pressed to tank, cold settled 24 hours, racked to neutral oak barrels and puncheons, one new puncheon and two lightly used puncheons (approx. 4% new French) and stainless tanks. Barrel (65%), concrete (30%) and tank (5%) aged 5 months. Partial malolactic fermentation. 2100 cases made.
Location: Sourced from four vineyard sites in Monterey, San Benito counties, with soils based on granite and/or siliceous and calcareous deposits.
Winemaking: Picked at moderate sugars, fermented in several lots ranging from 0-50% whole cluster primarily with endemic yeasts. Fermented to dryness on skins. Aged in mostly neutral, and a handful of once and twice used, barrels and puncheons for 16 months. Crunchy and bright.
Tasting Notes: Bright red fruits, cherry, cranberry, pomegranate, underripe strawberries, followed by smoky meat characteristics with black pepper. Acid-tannin tension follow, then, brightens in the mid palate, with candied red raspberries. White pepper enters the experience, with dried herbs, bay leaf, and thyme joining the line-up. Finishes umami, soy and hoisin, savory and bright.