Found Wine Company Wirz Vineyard Riesling Cienega Valley 2021

The husband-and-wife winemaking team behind Found Wine Company comes from two winemaking regions about as far apart as it gets.  Andy Butler grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, on his family’s vineyard, while Mabel Butler studied Food Engineering in her hometown of Valdivia, Chile.  Their separate, winding career paths made stops in Napa Valley, and unbeknownst to them at the time, this special valley would become home.  Great wine brings people together just as it did with Andy and Mabel, whose shared passion inspires them individually and as a couple to uncover all they can about the world of wine.  They created Found Wine Company to share their “findings” with others.

While learning and development are the backbone of Found Wine Company, Mabel and Andy research the varietals and styles they love.  One early discovery for the brand was a tiny, old-vine vineyard tucked away in a small sub-AVA in San Benito County, California.  The Cienega Valley lies on the northeastern ridge of the Gabilan Mountains outside of Monterey, and grapevines have grown there since the mid-1850s.  The San Andreas fault line bisects the valley and runs as a dividing line through the valley floor, creating two distinct soil types on either side.  Location on the western side means Wirz Vineyard benefits from well-draining granite and limestone soils.  This particular composition stresses the vines and encourages small yields of concentrated berries.  Their head-trained Riesling vines were planted in 1962, and the older age distills the flavors even further.  The valley’s surrounding ranges trap warm air throughout the day that ripens the fruit, and chilling breezes off Monterey Bay cool the valley at night, promoting high acidity.

Mabel and Andy appreciate that the work done in the vineyard accounts for 80% of their final wine, and from harvest to bottling, their primary responsibility is not to screw it up.  For the Wirz Vineyard Riesling, that meant gentle, native fermentation and six months of aging in a mix of stainless steel and neutral oak barrels.  A few swirls of this Riesling in the glass coax tropical fruit aromas of kiwi and fresh pineapple with underpinnings of perfumed white flowers, stone fruit, and a touch of salinity.  Vibrant acidity brightens a density in the mid-palate and lingers through the finish.