THE STORY
Bunter Spring Winery held a pop-up tasting about a month ago. I had not been in his pop-up space since he took it over and it felt like we were walking into someone’s living/dining room with friends. Surrounded by Mark Bunter and Margaret Spring’s close friends and their dogs, this felt more like a small party in someone’s home. Mark shared some novel wines, demonstrating his winemaking prowess, and some fabulous sale prices, to boot!
THE WINERY
From the Bunter Spring website:
“Bunter Spring Winery is a small family operated winery in the Coombsville AVA in the southeast corner of Napa Valley. We also have some production in Monterey. Most vintages we make a few hundred cases of wine, mostly for ourselves, but also for sale to friends on our mailing list, and a few restaurants and wine shops. Why make wine? We just don’t care for many of the wines sold today. We make the kind of wine we want to drink: balanced, interesting, made with few or no additives, and low or no sulfite. We list all ingredients, the actual sulfite level, and the actual alcohol level on every label. Incredibly, NO OTHER WINERY DOES THAT.”
VINEYARD Update
In his recent email, Mark informed us that the vineyard had been torn out and is replaced by a field of flowers:
“When Dad decided it was time to retire, I realized the winery would not be going forward. Vineyards require a lot of upkeep. An abandoned vineyard becomes an unsightly weedy jungle or desert, depending on rainfall. It breeds fungi which hurt your neighbors vines. So…”
THE WINES
We really enjoyed this Bunter Spring tasting event, as we were able to taste two wines made very differently from the same (somewhat suspicious) grape. It’s like an on-the-spot lesson in winemaking. Also, Mark dares to break from the expected in terms of what (as an example) a Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir is expected to taste like by making one with enough juice from Carmel Valley to completely change its taste profile.
As always, winery notes come from the tasting sheet, website, or conversations with the winery. Any mistakes are mine and mine alone.
2022 Bunter Spring White Wine, Santa Clara Valley AVA, Santa Clara County, 13% ABV $20 (#1480)
Winemaker’s Notes: “Your basic dry white wine, like in the Southern Mediterranean. Good with fish.” 40 cases produced.
My Review: Mark said this might be Sauvignon Blanc, but neither he nor we think so. More like a lighter white without any distinctive flavors. It is a pleasant wine – nice and dry, worthy of serving at a party. November 2024
2022 Bunter Spring Macerated White, Santa Clara Valley AVA, Santa Clara County, 13% ABV, $20 (#1481)
Winemaker’s Notes: “Same grapes as above, fermented on their skins for extra aromatic punch and exciting texture.” 20 cases produced.
My Review: Slightly orange, golden in color with nice legs. Perfume on the nose and palate, followed by a mélange of bold flavors. Quite delicious and interesting. I would serve this to guests. November 2024
2021 Bunter Spring Pinot Noir, Monterey County, 13.5% ABV, $40 (#1482)
Winemaker’s Notes: “Mostly from a famous vineyard in SLH, plus a little lower Carmel Valley fruit. French oaky, fruity, spicy, fun.” 50 cases produced.
My Review: This was a surprise to me. This mostly SLH (Santa Lucia Highlands) fruit does not taste like the typical SLH Pinot. A richer, smoother, fruitier Pinot Noir, with caramel on the finish. We took some home. November 2024
2017 Bunter “Natur” Syrah, Coombsville AVA, Napa County, 12.86% ABV, $30 (#1483)
Winemaker’s Notes: “Subtle, complex, fresh herbs, berries, floral, meaty, earthy. Superb balance, not BIG SYRAH. That’s OK with me- I like it.” Organic grapes. 50 cases produced.
My Review: This wine was another pleasant surprise. We had for sure tasted a previous vintage – the 2014, I believe. This one has settled down in the bottle and is ready to drink. We took some home. November 2024
THE TASTING ROOM
You can sometimes find a pop-up tasting by Mark Bunter in the back room of the Big Sur Vineyards tasting room in Carmel Valley Village. Check out the Bunter Spring Winery Facebook Page and the Bunter Spring Winery Instagram page for more information.
© Decanting Monterey 2024
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