Friday Features 8/26/2022

Two shop favorites in short supply!

Aslina Skin Contact Chenin Blanc
Regularly $29.99/On sale for $26.96
(100% Chenin Blanc)

We have been fans of Aslina wines for a few years now and we recently re-tasted this skin contact Chenin and were reminded just how amazing it is! It has the lovely honeyed characteristics you expect from Chenin and the maceration on skins adds texture and structure. Aslina was founded by Ntsiki Biyela in 2016.

Ntsiki grew up in a rural region and her interest in wine was sparked shortly after graduation from highschool. She had spent a year working as a domestic worker when she was awarded a scholarship to study winemaking at Stellenbosch University. After receiving her degree, each opportunity she earned (taking her around the world) inspired her further to create her own wines. Her winery is named for her grandmother who had been a guide and an inspiration to her.

Piedrasassi PS Syrah
Regularly $31.99/On sale for $28.79
(100% Syrah)

Winemaker Sashi Moorman and his wife, Melissa, have been making great, restrained, Northern Rhone-style Syrah in Lompoc, CA since 2003 under the Piedrasassi label. The focus of Piedrasassi’s wine program is cool-climate Syrah. Sashi & Melissa believe that good Syrah can be made at many sites in Santa Barbara County, but it is at the cool climate sites that Syrah is at its most compelling; producing the most complex aromas and the most savory textures. The vineyard sites for Piedrasassi range from Ballard Canyon in the east to the Santa Rita Hills and Arroyo Grande in the west. In the vineyard, the team at Piedrasassi picks a bit earlier than their colleagues to keep the alcohol levels in balance with flavor and to preserve the natural acidity of the fruit. In the winery, Moorman employs some whole cluster inclusion, indigenous yeast fermentation, and no sulfur added at fermentation, remaining as natural as possible without compromising the integrity of the wine. The Syrahs from Piedrasassi showcase the grape more than most other California wineries, and their “PS” Syrah has been a shop favorite for years. The wines are in extra short supply this year but we have brought in every bottle we could get our hands on. Truly some of our favorites Cali wines and we have a very small amount of a couple single vineyard Syrahs as well as the PS. Don’t let them slip by!