I happened to see on Facebook last week that Bunter Spring was suddenly closing its tasting room and was having a 50% off sale over the weekend. We contacted our Decanting Monterey Wine Pod partners to see if they wanted to go. It is another Senate Staffer connection which had not yet had the opportunity to taste Mark Bunter’s wines. Affirmative!
Mark explained that a lease issue caused him to suddenly close while he seeks another venue. For a small producer like Bunter Spring, it is vital he have an outlet for people to taste and learn about his wines. While we were there, he gave us the inside scoop on each wine and a full education on yeast (which went right over my head). He let us taste many of his wines, including an array of higher end wines from Napa. We hope he finds another venue soon.
I am presenting 8 of the wines we tasted that day – some others were presented in previous posts, such as this one: https://decantingmonterey.com/bunter-spring-how-many-former-senate-staffers-does-it-take-to-find-great-wines/. Winery notes come from their tasting sheet or website.There is more information on the back labels: I’ve included photos where I can. You can find more information on their website here.
2021 Spring Chardonnay, Coombsville, Napa Valley, 13.34% ABV, $35 (#753)
Winemaker’s Notes: “Barrel fermented. Green apple, bread dough, pineapple. Medium body, subtle butter and oak. Dry.” 50 cases produced.
My Review: Pale yellow with a slightly musty nose. A tasty palate of line and pineapple, with a touch of butter on the finish. June 2022
2020 Bunter Spring Rosé of Syrah, Coombsville, Napa Valley, 12.34%, $25 (#754)
Winemaker’s Notes: “The 2020 fires in Napa were catastrophic. We picked this early, for rosé, and avoided the smoke. Dry.” 33 cases produced.
My Review: Transluscent reddish amber in the glass. A touch of sweetness on the nose, but very tasty, a bit like a cherry cola. It is different from most rosés. We bought this wine and have now enjoyed it at home. June 2022
2017 Spring Pinot Noir, Monterey County (#755)
Winemaker’s Notes (verbal): The juice for this wine comes ½ from Chalone and 1/2 from the Palisades in Carmel Valley. Earthy, French Roast coffee.
My Review: Dark ruby in color with coffee on the nose and dark fruit on the palate. Very tasty, different. June 2022
2018 Bunter Spring Hippie Syrah, Napa 14.25% (#756)
Winemaker’s Notes: “Napa organic grapes, feral ferment. Red fruit, meaty, earthy, with a big hit of spicy American oak from new barrels. Very low (40 ppm) sulfite.” 60 cases produced.
My Review: Very dark ruby in color. A dark cherry nose. Black cherry on the rich, tasty palate, with a touch of yeastiness on the finish. This is my favorite to date of the Hippie Syrahs! June 2022
2018 Spring “Pizza Wine”, Highlands Vineyard, Monterey, 14.96% ABV, $24 (#757) 65% Zinfandel, 35% Syrah
Winemaker’s Notes: “Fruit punchy jammy everyday red. It’s great with red-sauced pasta, too.” 75 cases produced.
My Review: Very dark in color. Sweet dark fruit on the nose. Jammy dark berries and a touch of alcohol on the palate. I like this wine and selected it for one of my wine classes. June 2022
2017 Spring Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmel Valley, 13.38% ABV, $45 (#758)
Winemaker’s Notes: “Organic grapes. A very good example of the unique local Cabernet Sauvignon character.” 24 cases produced.
My Review: What he didn’t say is these grapes come from the Massa Estate (formerly Durney/Heller), one of the most well known, local, long time producers of high end Cabernet Sauvignon in the Carmel Valley AVA. He has masterfully made this wine, which at other wineries would sell for double the price. This was my favorite wine of the day and I wish I had bought more of it. But we didn’t want to be greedy. June 2022
2016 Spring Cabernet Sauvignon, Calistoga, Napa Valley, 13.76% ABV, $60 (#759)
Winemaker’s Notes: “100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Expensive fruit, but worth it. The real deal.” 24 cases produced.
My Review: Dark, heavy ruby in the glass. Plum and dark jammy fruits on the nose and palate. Wer took some of that wine home. June 2022
2012 Spring Red Wine, Napa Valley, 13.8% ABV, $90 (#760) 86% Cabernet Franc, 14% Petit Verdot
Winemaker’s Notes: “Classic Napa style, big, tannic, structured, best with food.” 37 cases produced.
My Review: Dark ruby in the glass. Lively nose of violets and red fruits. A delicious palate of raspberry and cherry flavors. A bit lighter than the heavy Cabernets we had just tasted. Exceptional. June 2022
Want to buy or taste their wines? Things are in a bit of a flux at the moment. The best bet is to call Mark at (202) 744-1343. You can see some of the current releases here and contact Mark by phone or email to order. Directions are here. They ship within California and to Washington DC and Florida.
© Decanting Monterey 2023
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