Friday Wine Tasting 9/11

September 11: Southern Hemisphere Wines with Skurnik

Come join us for a fabulous afternoon of wine tasting at The San Francisco Wine Trading Company! Whether you're a wine connoisseur or just looking to have a good time, this event is perfect for you. Sample a variety of exquisite wines and mingle with fellow wine enthusiasts. Don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity to expand your palate and enjoy some delicious wines. See you there!

Burn Cottage was established in 2002 when the Sauvage family of Chicago purchased an undeveloped property in Central Otago. They sought out Ted Lemon, the acclaimed winemaker behind Littorai in California, to help develop the vineyard. Lemon already had strong ties to Central Otago and recommended that the property be farmed biodynamically from the very beginning.

Burn Cottage operates as a complete farm rather than simply a vineyard, incorporating cattle, beehives, olive groves, and chickens to encourage biodiversity and create a self-sustaining ecosystem. In the cellar, the wines are made with a low-intervention approach using native yeasts, minimal sulfur, and no fining or filtration.

Moonlight Race takes its name from a water channel that passes through the Burn Cottage property, one of the many “races” constructed during the early years of European settlement to carry water down from the mountains. The 2024 combines Pinot Noir from three sites: 40% Burn Cottage Vineyard, 34% Sauvage Vineyard, and 26% Sappa Vineyard. It is fermented with 5% whole bunches and aged for 12 months in French oak, 20% new.

Despite New Zealand’s maritime geography, Central Otago has a distinctly continental climate, with warm summers, cold winters, and dramatic shifts between daytime and nighttime temperatures. Long, sunny days during the growing season encourage ripeness, while cool nights help the grapes retain acidity. The region’s vineyards are heavily influenced by ancient glacial activity, with soils derived from schist and granite and generally composed of free-draining sandy loams.

This Pinot Noir comes exclusively from the Sauvage Vineyard in Bannockburn, one of the warmest subregions of Central Otago. The vineyard was planted in 1999 and purchased by the Sauvage family in 2018, adding another distinct site to the Burn Cottage estate. The 2021 was fermented with 7% whole clusters and aged in French oak, 18% new.

Altos Las Hormigas was founded in Mendoza in 1995 by Tuscan winemaker Alberto Antonini and entrepreneur Antonio Morescalchi, who quickly recognized the potential of Argentina’s high-altitude vineyards and Malbec. Over time, the estate became increasingly focused on individual terroirs and the influence of Mendoza’s diverse limestone-rich soils.

This Malbec comes from two parcels within the Jardín de Hormigas vineyard in Paraje Altamira, one of the most highly regarded areas of the Uco Valley. Situated at approximately 1,200 meters elevation, the vineyard’s altitude provides intense sunlight alongside cool temperatures that help preserve freshness and acidity. The wine is aged for 15 months between large 3,500-liter untoasted foudres and concrete vessels, followed by at least 12 months in bottle, emphasizing the character of the vineyard rather than oak.

Andrea Mullineux grew up in Northern California and studied winemaking at UC Davis before working in Stellenbosch, South Africa. She met her future husband, Chris Mullineux, at a wine festival in Champagne, and the couple eventually settled in Swartland. Historically associated with bulk wine and brandy production, this hot, dry region began attracting greater attention in the 1990s as producers recognized the potential of its old vines and Mediterranean varieties. The Mullineuxs, along with Eben Sadie and Adi Badenhorst, became closely associated with the movement often referred to as the Swartland Revolution.

Kloof Street serves as an introduction to Swartland through Chenin Blanc and Rhône varieties, with the wines intended to emphasize freshness, fruit, and accessibility. The 2021 Rouge is a blend of 57% Syrah, 27% Grenache Noir, 9% Cinsault, and 7% Tinta Barocca from six sustainably farmed vineyard parcels throughout Swartland. The fruit is 60% destemmed and aged for 11 months in third- and fourth-fill 225-liter French oak barrels, 500-liter demi-muids, and large upright wooden vats.

In a relatively short period, Mullineux established itself as one of South Africa’s most celebrated wineries. The estate has accumulated more than 50 five-star ratings from Platter’s South African Wine Guide and has been named the publication’s Winery of the Year multiple times. A major focus of the estate is Swartland’s geological diversity, particularly its granite, schist, quartz, and iron-rich soils.

The 2022 Syrah brings together vineyards representing several of these distinct soil types: quartz-based soils from the Mullineuxs’ Kasteelberg vineyard, stony schist on the mid-slopes of Kasteelberg, decomposed granite from the Paardeberg, and iron-rich soils north of Malmesbury. The wine is crushed with 80% whole clusters and initially aged for 11 months in 500-liter French oak barrels. The different components are then blended and aged for an additional 10 months before bottling.