Les Lunes "Astral" Red Blend, Mendocino County, California 2023

FROM ZEV ROVINE SELECTIONS:

THE WINE: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Grenache, Syrah. Grapes are sourced from vineyards in Mendocino, Sonoma Carneros, and Sonoma Valley. Pinot Noir and Grenache destemmed and macerated for 5 days. Zinfandel many ways — destemmed and macerated for 5 days, carbonic maceration, direct press rosé, and co-fermented with Syrah. Chardonnay 50% direct press and 50% co-fermented with Zinfandel rosé. Aged in flextanks and neutral French oak barrels.

THE PRODUCER: Shaunt Oungoulian and Diego Roig produce two wines, Populis and Les Lunes Wine. In addition to making wine, they farm and manage over 8 ha of vineyards in Sonoma and Napa and are committed 100% to organic farming and restoring and preserving older and historic vineyards in those counties. Their Les Lunes Wines are made from these vineyards and the top sites from their growers in Mendocino County. The Les Lunes Wines show the more classic, refined, elegant, and ageable side of natural wine. Their facility is literally the basement of Shaunt’s parents’ house in Orinda, just east of Berkeley. This allows them to produce wine without the interference of other wineries’ yeasts or influences as well as allowing them to age their wine for multiple vintages before release if needed. They are absolutely 100% committed to farming and producing wines organically. They make no additions to the wines save for a small dose of sulfur before bottling if needed, as determined on a barrel by barrel basis.