2016 Minimus #21 Nebbiolo Nouveau

Region: Willamette Valley < Oregon
Grapes: Nebbiolo
Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Organic farming; cold carbonic fermentation; zero added SO2; unfined/unfiltered; 55 cases; 10.9% ABV
Winemaker: Chad Stock

Minimus Wines are unconventional even by Oregon standards. Each wine is an individually numbered, non-repeating experiment with assorted varieties, fermentation, and/or maturation techniques that break formal winemaking conventions.  And Chad Stock, quietly intense, with a laser-sharp focus and insane memory for details, is somewhat of a mad scientist. Chad has two Oregon wine projects: Omero, his classic label focused on Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Gris; and Minimus, where there are no rules and he gets to play with whichever grape, method or fermentation vessel he fancies. Like this Willamette Valley Nebbiolo. It needed to be picked, but wasn’t at the point where it could stand alone as a structured red wine, so he decided to tart it up with some carbonic fermentation and make a nouveau-style Nebbiolo. Somewhere between red and hot pink, this incredibly aromatic wine smells like Bing cherry juice dripping off rose petals in a dusty field. And at less than 11% alcohol, it’s super refreshing and downright crushable, especially with a slight chill (30 minutes or so in the fridge).