Iruai Wines- ‘Sylvan' Trousseau 2022

Iruai Winery (“ear-oo-eye" … the artist formerly known as Methode Sauvage) was started in 2013 by Chad and Michelle Westbrook Hinds in Berkeley, CA as a gypsy natural wine project, before laying down roots in the mythical Shasta-Cascade mountains of Siskiyou County.

Trading in the urban winery hustle for the vigneron life, we are exploring avant garde vineyard planting and rehabilitation techniques using the permaculture methods laid out by Masanobu Fukuoka, while formulating our own “chaos organics” method of re-enchanting the land. Truly unlike anywhere else in California, Western Siskiyou County feels like a cross between Switzerland and Montana, cut with a rain shadow from Mount Shasta that divides it starkly between high mountain prairie and dense alpine forests.

In nature grapes grow in the liminal spaces between the pastures of civilization and the wilds of the forest. They are the enticing fruit that connects us to the woods, and beckon us to mystery. It's a good thing they weren't experimenting with Trousseau in the States back in the sixties, or it might still be a schedule I substance today. 'Sylvan' is dank on the nose like marijuana gummy bears, juicy and alive on the palate, and rounded out with a subtle hint of dried mushrooms, duck fat and cranberry sauce (in a good way). Buy the ticket, take the ride.

Marijuana Gummies . Duck Fat . Orange Zest . Porcini Powder . Peak Cherries

FOOD grilled duck breast, cherries, broccoli rabe + crusty bread

Type: Red
Producer: Iruai 
Varietal: Trousseau
Country: United States
Region: California
Farming: Organic