{"product_id":"iruai-psychic-terroir-2024","title":"Iruai Psychic Terroir Red 2024","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Applegate Valley sits in southern Oregon, tucked between the Siskiyou Mountains and the Rogue Valley, and it has almost nothing in common with the Willamette Valley three hours north. This is high, dry, continental country in the rain shadow of the Siskiyous, with hot days, cold nights, and a diurnal swing wide enough that grapes ripen fully while acidity stays intact. Elevation and granitic, decomposed soils do the rest. It is the kind of place where Grenache, Syrah, Gamay, and Gewurztraminer can all be grown well within a short drive of each other, which is exactly what makes a blend like this possible. Iruai calls the broader area the California Alps and treats it as alpine growing territory rather than as a warm-climate outpost.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA genuinely unusual field blend: 35% Grenache, 20% Muscat, 15% Cabernet Franc, 10% Syrah, 10% Gamay, and 10% Gewurztraminer, all from the Applegate Valley. Fermented whole cluster with native yeast and made with no additions. The Muscat and Gewurztraminer are the reason this smells the way it does, throwing rose petal, lychee, and orange blossom over a red-fruited base that the Grenache and Gamay provide, while the Cabernet Franc and Syrah supply the peppery, herbal spine that keeps it from turning perfumed and soft. Raspberry, pomegranate, rose, white pepper, bergamot, and a stony finish. Light in body, high in acid, low in tannin. Field blends like this were once normal and are now nearly extinct; this one argues for bringing them back.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChad and Michelle Westbrook Hinds started the project in Berkeley in 2013 under the name Methode Sauvage, working as an urban winery without vineyards of their own. In 2019 they relocated to Michelle's hometown of Etna, in Scott Valley, deep in Siskiyou County, and renamed the label Iruai. Their focus since has been alpine varieties, the grapes that thrive in the Jura, Savoie, and the Alto Adige, planted in a corner of the West that they argue is climatically closer to Switzerland than to Napa. They use permaculture methods drawn from Masanobu Fukuoka, add nothing in the cellar, and direct 1% of sales to the Shasta Indian Nation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe aromatic top end and low tannin make this a strong match for food that usually defeats red wine. Try it with Sichuan dry-fried green beans and mapo tofu, a Thai basil chicken stir fry, duck banh mi, or grilled shrimp with chile and lime. The Muscat and Gewurztraminer aromatics meet ginger, chile, and lemongrass instead of fighting them, and the acidity handles heat and vinegar. Serve it chilled, around 55 degrees.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"LeDuc Wine Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51195281473759,"sku":null,"price":23.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P8150120_b4657f02-7ba2-4de4-94be-9141975057fa.jpg?v=1786842664","url":"https:\/\/denverwinemerchant.com\/products\/iruai-psychic-terroir-2024","provider":"Denver Wine Merchant","version":"1.0","type":"link"}