Âmevive - 'Sundrop' - Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier - Los Olivos District, Santa Barabra, CA - 2023

Notes from the Winery/Importer

You can find all three varieties in this wine. The floral aromatics of Viognier, the width of Marsanne, and the refined texture of the roussanne. This wine is fun! Who knew we could make something so good out of Viognier ;) This wine comes from a little vineyard just a stone’s throw from Ibarra-Young. The vineyard is called Tagabelle and is owned and managed beyond organically by the Bolton family. I knew I wanted to create a coferment inspired by the Rhone from the minute I learned about this vineyard. These varieties take me back to happy moments living in and exploring wines in the Northern Rhone but, of course, Sundrop is certainly made with a California playfulness. Over the year, it has been easy to become friends with the Boltons. They are incredibly kind and considerate people. We’ve been able to graze our sheep at their property and help guide them into farming with more holistic sprays. I really look forward to continuing the partnership with this little vineyard, especially considering the wine is delicious too. The equal parts Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier were harvested together on a foggy morning in Los Olivos. The grapes were harvested into the same bins, brought to the winery and pressed directly The wine settled overnight and the juice was gravity racked off of its heavy lees into neutral French oak barrels. Along with all of the whites in 2023, Sundrop had a long and slow fermentation. The wine aged on its fermentation lees, completed malolactic fermentation, and was bottled unfined and unfiltered in July 2024. - 13.0%ABV - 145 cases produces - Certified organic grapes, minimal sulfites

Notes on the Producer

Pronunciation: "ahm-veev" ​ ​Translation: soulful, lively soul, living soul ​ the emotional part of human nature; the seat of the feelings or sentiments. high-mindedness; noble warmth of feeling, spirit or courage. the principle of life, feeling, thought, and action in humans, regarded as a distinct entity and separate from the body; the spiritual part of humans as distinct from the physical part.

We lease and farm the Ibarra-Young Vineyard in Los Olivos District A.V.A.

This vineyard was planted by Charlotte Young in 1971 and is still owned by her three daughters. Charlotte's right-hand man, Miguel Ibarra, Helped her plant the vineyard in 1971 and continued to work on the vineyard for more than 40 years. Today, we celebrate this duo by designating these 10 acres as the Ibarra-Young Vineyard.

Ibarra-Young Vineyard was one of the first vineyards planted in the Santa Ynez Valley and has so much soul you can feel it. The first 3 acres were planted in 1971 and 3 more acres were planted in 1973. In the late 90's and early 2000's Bob Lindquist completed Ibarra-Young's planted acreage with the "young" vines in the rockier section of the vineyard.

The vineyard is planted to Syrah and Mourvèdre planted in 1971, Marsanne planted in 1973, as well as suitcase clone Tempranillo and Graciano planted in the late 90's. Everything on the property is own-rooted and has been farmed organically since 1993. We began leasing and farming this special place at the beginning of 2020 and employ regenerative organic and biodynamic practices.
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Our goal is to rebuild an ecosystem of native species that live alongside our vine rows, regenerate soil health, and grow the highest quality grapes this site can give. We believe the best wine grapes are grown with minimal inputs and conscious vineyard management. We reject a systematic schedule for viticulture and farming in general. We believe that by working in conjunction with nature we can increase biodiversity and soil health, minimize unnecessary sprays, minimize tractor passes and compaction, decrease water use, and reduce our carbon footprint.

We look forward to taking you along on this journey of unconventional viticulture with us. We hope to convince you that with a lot of passion and hard work, world-class wines are made with minimal intervention in a vineyard that grows alongside a healthy living ecosystem.
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