it is just grapejuice

Greetings from the cellars of Sans Permis. As many of you know, and for those who are just learning, Sans Permis was established by George Van Duzer and a small group of partners in 2004, with the aim of producing wines that explore the potential of California’s wonderful landscape. Sans Permis translated from French means without license, but fear not, we have many licenses. Our name represents a way of thinking, a systematic view that respects and acknowledges tradition and standards without relinquishing creativity or our sense of humor.

Our deep admiration for the great red and white wine of Burgundy has resulted in wines that are made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. In particular Chardonnay is prominent at Sans Permis, comprising 100% of the inaugural 2004 vintage. A small fraction of Pinot Noir was made in 2005 although Chardonnay will remain the foundation of our efforts.

The mission of Sans Permis is not to imitate Burgundy but rather to respect and understand the Burgundian culture, keeping in mind their philosophy that great wine comes from great vineyards, not necessarily from great winemakers. While California will never replicate Montrachet, Mersault or Musigny we should take inspiration from what makes those vineyards and resulting wines so glorious. So the charge at Sans Permis is to identify and gain access to California’s greatest Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vineyards. Once these grapes are acquired then allow the wines to make themselves, free of a winemaker’s thumbprint.

THE SANS PERMIS CREW
George Van Duzer is the managing director, winemaker and wayfarer—last year logging over 40,000 miles in pursuit of exceptional quality vineyard sources. He has over fifteen years of experience in the wine industry, working in marketing and winegrowing for HMT Consults (Helen Turley’s consulting business including Marcassin), Bryant Family Vineyard, Turley Wine Cellars, Robert Mondavi Winery and Joseph Phelps Vineyards. He also holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in environmental studies, economics and viticulture from Yale University, the University of San Francisco and Napa Valley College.

Thomas Brown, recently selected by The Wine Spectator as one of California’s best new winemakers, has been retained as our consulting winemaker. He was the assistant winemaker at Turley Wine Cellars, where he and George became friends. He has worked as a consulting winemaker to an array of other prestigious wineries such as: Chiarello Family Vineyards, Schrader Cellars, Outpost, Tor and Nicholson Ranch. Thomas also produces his own wines under the Rivers-Marie label.

Matt Hathaway will be joining our team this August as our Operations Manager and Assistant Winemaker. While Matt is new to the wine business his passion for wine is not to be underestimated and we look forward to him joining the team.

WINEMAKING
All of Sans Permis’ wines are made with a minimalist philosophy. The 2004’s went through alcohol and malolactic fermentation utilizing ambient (wild) yeast and ML culture. The wines were fermented and aged in traditional Burgundy shaped French oak barriques, 1/3 of which were new. The all wine from the 2004 vintage was bottled naturally without any fining agents, cold stabilization or sterile filtration

Well, let me start by saying this: it would be much easier to match wine on Thanksgiving if it were just turkey. The facts are that everyone serves up Grandma’s sweet potatoes, Aunt June’s green bean casserole and Cousin Jim’s apple pork stuffing. Matching wine with so many different options forces me to suggest versatile whites and reds. In fact, this time of year I often offer this advice, “drink the wine you like with the food you like with the people you like.” You can’t go wrong that way!
Today, I am going to talk about one white and one red that I think can hold up to just about any food. The first is a Riesling from the Mosel in Germany. I was lucky enough to visit this property this past spring and this wine was one of the surprises of our trip. The 2003 Batterieberg Detonation Riesling definitely benefited from the warm ‘03 vintage. It shows lots of depth and is a very “dry” style of Riesling which a lot of people are not familiar with. I tell people that “if you drink Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc, you will love this…. especially for only $11.49!”
For red this year, I like the 2003 “The Lucky Country” from Barossa Valley in Australia. It is a blend of 85% Grenache, 10% Shiraz & 5% Moutvedre. This Grenache-based wine shows lots of silky, forward fruit with a tad of spice. Grenache is typically a juicier style grape with lots of body which is why this will go fantastic with your turkey dinner. The “Lucky Country” sells for $19.99 - a great bottle for the price. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and remember to enjoy your wine with your festivities!

This post was written by Dave Courtney of Beaver Liqours!

Thanksgiving in the UK. Sure it is tough explaining America’s favorite feast day to our foul-weathered friends amidst cries of “didn’t you lot kill all the indians?” No, we didn’t. Fortunately, a kitchen overflowing with food helps put a lid on politico-historical debate and brings any group together. Wow. I think I just nailed it. Anyways, vegetarians outnumbered carnivores so there was no bird, but generous portions of roasted and mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberries, aparagus with garlic and ginger, and even an avocado curry filled our plates and, thanks given, we tucked in. The wines chosen included an Alsatian riesling, which is a gimme for any feast, and an Argento Malbec from Argentina. Malbec, to me, is the perfect winter holiday red. Like mulled wine, it has the spices that intrigue the palate and warm the body… although I don’t drink much in warmer seasons, I tend to crave it when winter comes around and am willing to forgive some rough edges or excess heat. The Argento did seem to unravel somewhat early, but Argentina has come a long, long way in a remarkably short time and although it claims a large viticultural history, it is the fine wines that have only just arrived on the world stage. Not bad for a grape that had always been relegated to blending status and only in minute percentages or for a country that still produces a large majority of jugwine. The main visionary and patriarch, Nicolas Catena, came back from Napa valley in the early 80’s driven by a new inspiration to put Argentina on the map in the world of fine wines. The poor soils and desert climate of the Andes foothills discouraged many predecessors, but only emboldened Catena. 1994 saw the pivotal harvest of chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and malbec (clones taken from Cahors, France) and by 2000, his wine would draw comparison to such iconic labels such as Chateau Latour, Haut Brion, Caymus and Opus One in blind tastings. Just a prologue to the boom in Mendoza. Plummy and intense, great wintery companions these wines.

As there were even more teetotalers and long drives ahead of others than even herbivores, the riesling stayed under cork. A shame. It will be my duty to see that it is not wasted for the sake of the leftovers.

RF
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-Italian Proverb

-English Proverb

Happy Thanksgiving

and thanks for coming by to check out our website!

More content is coming soon….

“If wine interferes with your business, put your business aside”

Spanish Proverb

One of the cheapest bottles in my local wine store for years has consistently been Rioja. The white, that is, not the red. It seems that viura gets no respect. Just to catch up, viura is the main grape in white Rioja and a bit-player in various other Spanish blends. It is dry with medium body, bright, fresh and acidic and almost always available (on sale) for between $6-$9. Rioja is far more renowned for its reds and burnished oak styles, whereas the whites (although often barrel fermented) see little to no wood aging . The march of the new indigenous grapes of Spain is on and if you are open to different and unique varietals, I recommend any known Rioja bodega’s viura issue. It is usually a fraction of the cost of the red and loves a diverse spectrum of food… not really a cocktailer. Muga, which makes a fine, exemplary red is one of the noteable bodegas offering an astoundingly affordable white. Also Marques de Caceres, the big kid on the Rioja block, offers the same. These are lively, solid wines that seem to deliver just about the best value for under $10. Albarino and Verdejo have definitely arrived and asserted their value, viura, however, is still standing in line and almost always a bargain.

RF

I made a discovery in Edwards last night; Frites has a Muscadet, Sauvignon St. Bris, and a Graves all by the glass and all under ten dollars. They are all good examples of their respective regions and good values, so if you want to check out some wines that you don’t see by the glass everyday it is a perfect opportunity to do so. The mussels were remarkably good too, and a great pair for the vino especially considering the proximity of the restaurant to the ocean. .

Don’t worry Kevin they don’t force you to eat the nasty sea creatures
Frites Restaurant is located in the Riverwalk Plaza, Edwards, Colorado. 970-926-2151. They specialize in steak frites, mussels, onion soup and great wines by the glass.

“I spend alot of time thinking about what not to do.”

Winemaker George Van Duzer on his non-intervention wine making style. Sans Permis Wines are still under the radar and worth checking out. George will tell you that California Chardonnay is not taken seriously enough by winemakers or consumers. Drop him a line at george@sanspermiswines.com is you want to get excited about Chardonnay again.