Iruai Shasta-Cascade White 2025
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The Land
Western Siskiyou County looks less like California than like a cross between Switzerland and Montana. Mount Shasta throws a rain shadow across the region that splits it sharply between high mountain prairie and dense alpine forest, and the growing sites here sit at real elevation with a continental climate: cold winters, big diurnal swings, short seasons. Almost none of it has been tested for viticulture. This wine pulls from high-elevation sites across the Shasta-Cascade, spanning the Trinity Alps in California and the Rogue and Applegate Valleys on the Oregon side of the Siskiyou Wilderness, which is why it carries the broad American appellation rather than a single AVA. That geographic spread is a feature, not a compromise.
The Wine
30% Savagnin, 20% Chardonnay, 20% Chenin Blanc, 20% Savagnin Rose Musque, and 10% Gruner Veltliner. The model is the white wine of the Jura and Savoie rather than anything Californian, and the grape selection follows directly from that. Savagnin is the backbone, delivering the nutty, saline structure that makes Jura whites what they are; the Savagnin Rose Musque adds an aromatic lift most people never encounter; and the Gruner supplies a peppery edge. Native yeast, no additions, nothing stripped out. Dried flowers, mountain brush, almond, yuzu, elderflower, and preserved lemon, cut by very high acidity. 12.5% alcohol and 500 cases produced. It tastes like a Ricola dropped into a margarita, which is the winery's own description and is exactly right.
The People
Iruai, pronounced ear-oo-eye, is Chad and Michelle Westbrook Hinds. They started in Berkeley in 2013 as Methode Sauvage, a winery with no vineyards, then moved in 2019 to Michelle's hometown of Etna in Scott Valley and rebuilt the project around alpine varieties grown in the mountains of far northern California and southern Oregon. In the vineyard they use permaculture techniques from Masanobu Fukuoka and a method they call chaos organics, aiming to let vines behave as they would in the wild. In the cellar they add nothing and remove nothing. The winery gives 1% of sales to the Shasta Indian Nation.
Food Pairing
The winery suggests pork belly with basil and watermelon, and that combination of fat, herb, and sweetness is exactly what the acidity is built for. Beyond that: a Comte and gruyere fondue, trout amandine with brown butter, or grilled halloumi with lemon and oregano. The nutty Savagnin character meets alpine cheese head-on and the acidity keeps up with anything fried or rich. Serve it cool but not ice cold, around 50 degrees, and let it open in the glass for a few minutes.
We ship wine to most states with a $100 minimum order for shipping. We don't ship spirits nor beer.
Weather shipping advisory: Orders placed during times of extreme heat or extreme cold will be held for no charge until more favorable weather returns.
This region includes wines labeled "North Coast", which are often blends including Sonoma and Napa counties. This expansive area encompasses established regions like Mendocino and Lake Counties, as well as newer vineyard sites pushing towards the Oregon border. Mendocino County is known for its varied climates, from the Anderson Valley's cool, fog-influenced areas ideal for Pinot Noir and sparkling wine, to warmer inland spots. Lake County, further inland, offers volcanic soils and a warmer climate suitable for Cabernet Sauvignon and other varieties. Beyond these, even more northerly locations are being explored for their unique terroir, contributing to the evolving identity of California's northern wine production.
