2013 Aha Wines ‘Bebame’ El Dorado County Red Wine

Region: Sierra Foothills < CA
Grapes: 90% Cab Franc, 10% Gamay
Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Organic farming; brief aging in stainless steel with minimal sulfur; 13% ABV
Winemaker: Steve Edmunds

We sometimes lament the difficulty of finding good, inexpensive yet genuinely interesting California wines. Then we meet wines like the lovely Bebame, and realize that times are a changing. A small project from respected Sierra Foothills winemaker Steve Edmunds of Edmunds St. John and two partners, one an El Dorado hills winegrower and the other a Portland wine importer, Aha is a textbook example of “New California Wine” (a term coined by wine writer Jon Bonne): clean, transparent, easy, terroir expressive, relatively low in alcohol and super tasty. They keep the alcohol down and freshness up by picking at lower brix than your standard Cali Cab. They reason, “If we pick clean, ripe fruit, not much can go wrong – too much “production” gets in the way of expression.” This is a refreshing, food-friendly Loire Valley-inspired blend, lively, taut, refreshing and unpretentious. Just right for burgers on the grill.