2019 Augur 'The Hook' Rosé

Region:  Dunnigan Hills < Yolo County < California

Grapes: Carignan

Winemaker: Maz Naba

Augur Wine Co. is a one-man show, born out of a love for cool climate
California wines, and inspired by salty Pacific surf. Maz Naba is a
restaurant guy, managing wine and operations for several excellent SF
places (Mister Jiu's, Rich Table, Nico).  But as restaurant wine
people tend to do, he made friends, fell deeper into wine, and ended
up working harvests and visiting producers, all of which conspired to
seduce him into making wine. And so Maz started Augur in 2016, with an
inaugural production of 100% rose. He made 3 different styles, from
light and fresh to deeper and denser, to a little wacky, before
branching out in 2018 with other varietals.  The name, Augur Wine Co.,
pays tribute to his mama, a clairvoyant, and the supernatural. In
Maz's words, "to elicit that feeling...of good omens, the foretelling
of great events, and to evoke the poetic tether we each possess to the
spiritual unknown."  So really, it's in homage to his mother who
interpreted dreams and participated in Tasseography. Maz sees the
ethereal in the magic of viticulture and oenology -- that it's more
than just chemistry.   Maz's background is equally diverse - mom and
dad are both Lebanese but mom was born and raised in Brazil.  The
family immigrated to NYC in the late 60's but instilled their rich
cultural heritage in Maz and his siblings.

Maz sources this Carignan from the certified organic Trimble vineyard
in Mendocino County to make his Hook Rosé, named after his favorite
surf spot, Santa Cruz's Pleasure Point.  We asked him about his
inspiration for making this distinctly different rosé, and he
explained: "I was enjoying a bottle of  Clos Cibonne Tibouren (a cult
rosé made under flor, like Sherry) and it gave me a very impassioned
feeling to make a rosé with that same minerality - as close as I could
get to with organic California fruit."  In this case, it's Carignan,
which Naz personally loves.  And we're big fans too, after tasting The
Hook.  Dripping with blood orange, watermelon, and strawberries, this
wine looks intense but finishes dry and drinks almost like a
skin-contact white, with loads of texture, some grip and a
Campari-esque thing.  Addictive and refreshing, it'll be gone in a hot
second, even faster if served poolside with an arctic chill.