2021 Ardure Zin Beveridge Vineyard Amphorae Series

Region: Dry Creek Valley < Sonoma < CA
Grape: Zinfandel
Vineyard/Cellar Stats: CCOF-certified organic farming; soils are gravelly loam with huge chunks of energetic quartz crystal strewn throughout; grapes foot tread and left for 24 hours to soak on skins. Pressed into amphorae to start primary fermentation. Racked off of gross lees into neutral barrique to finish primary fermentation and start malolactic conversion; neutral french oak barrels for 10 month elevage; bottled unfined, unfiltered with no added So2; zero-zero; 12% ABV
Winemaker: Jason Ruppert

• Former Somm turned regenerative farmer + natural winemaker
• Crystals infused into each wine during fermentation for energetic vibrance
• Nothing like the thick, syrupy Zins of yesteryear
• Light, bright, fresh, vivid
• Classic Zin sweet spice and black fruit with soft tannins
• Waves of electric minerality
• Delicate but layered, stands up to an array of earthy and rich foods
• Thanksgiving!!

More about Ardure

Ardure, which translates to "the heat of passion" in olde French, is a brand-new project from my good friend Jason Ruppert, who has a long history in Bay Area wine.  He started as a sommelier running wine programs in Marin, Sonoma and SF before migrating into wine production, where he learned the ropes of biodynamic and organic farming from gurus like Ted Lemon of Littorai and Steve Matthiasson.  He also worked three vintages with Pax Mahle, Scott Schultz of Jolie Laide, Ryan and Megan Glaab of RYME and Jaimee Motley before being given the opportunity to farm two vineyards on his own and to make his first set of three wines for his inaugural vintage, 2018.

Jason farms both his Chardonnay from Marin county and Zinfandel from Dry Creek Valley naturally, with no sprays of copper or sulphur.  Both sites are also implementing regenerative farming methods, working with specific cover crops to help nourish and protect the soil. The wines are vinified in the most natural of ways with their healthy, native yeasts, basket pressing and letting all wines go through malolactic fermentation on their own, and using little to no sulphur right before bottling. He also uses different crystals during primary fermentation to add in extra energetic vibrancy.  We LOVE this.

When asked to describe Ardure, Jason told us, "The general philosophy behind Ardure is integrity within making truly natural wines from the ground up. Conscious farming, attentive vinification and diligent care for our environment. And I ferment my wines with crystals to increase energetic vibration and to also stabilize the natural algorithm within the wine."