Another DC friend came to town – one who also happens to be an old colleague of Margaret Spring, the Spring of Bunter Spring Winery. With three former Senate staffers in the mix, wouldn’t it be fun to taste there? With their grapes sourced from multiple counties and winery and vineyards in the Coombsville section of Napa, we were delighted to learn they are open again for tasting on the weekends (Friday-Monday). I’d say our tasting far exceeded my expectations, which were already high! By that I mean high quality wines for reasonable prices. Winery notes come from their website. Check them out here.
2019 Spring Sauvignon Blanc “Oyster Wine” Santa Cruz County, 12.16% ABV, $20 (#518*)
Winemaker’s Notes: “Our 2019 continues the series of standout wines from this vineyard, which we began using in 2014. Barrel fermented and aged six months in older “neutral” French barrels. Totally dry, light-bodied, tart, with subtle aromas of citrus, nectarine, and dried grass. This wine was literally made for oysters on the half-shell. It’s also great with goat cheese, or alone as an aperitif or refreshing thirst-quencher. Ingredients: grapes, water, yeast, sulfite. Filtered, not fined. At bottling: total sulfite 39 ppm, residual sugar <0.1 g/l (totally dry).” 48 cases produced.
My Review: Made to go well with oysters! VIneyard is near Corralitos and Watsonville. Pale in color, a very light yellow. Honeysuckle on the nose. Lean on the palate with bright acidity. October 2021
2018 Spring Reserve Chardonnay, Monterey AVA, 14.43% ABV, $35 (#519*)
Winemaker’s Notes: “This wine is fuller bodied and has a more powerful flavor and mouthfeel than our “regular” Chard, but since that’s sold out, you have to take our word for it. Pear, yellow apple, edamami, with an unctuous texture. Ingredients: grapes, yeast, sulfur dioxide. Not fined, not filtered. At bottling: total SO2 90 ppm, residual sugar 0.5 g/l (not totally dry).” 25 cases produced.
My Review: From Chula Lina VIneyard outside of Chualar. Very yellow with a lovely bouquet and delicious on the palate with butter, caramel, plenty of fruit and a touch of lemon zest on the finish. We thought this was an exceptional Chardonnay! October 2021
2019 Spring “Orange Wine” Sauvignon Blanc, Santa Cruz County, 12.08% ABV, $20 (#520*)
Winemaker’s Notes: “Orange wine is a potentially misleading name for wine made from white grapes fermented on their skins in the manner of red wine. Depending on the variety, and how long the maceration, the color can range from pale straw to deep pink, almost red. This one’s relatively light as it was only on the skins for five days. It has interesting aroma and flavors reminiscent of stone fruit and herbs, dried grass, savory spice. Slightly tannic, with more texture than white wine. Good with many foods, especially Asian, and shrimp. Ingredients: grapes, yeast, 40 ppm total sulfite. Dry.” 48 cases produced.
My Review: I tasted this wine later for a special virtual wine class on “orange” wines. Pale orange, bold gold in color. At first, scents of yeast, with emerging floral notes on the nose. Strong flavors on the palate, including ripe peach – like a very bold rose – the oak comes through. After opening up, very round and flavorful on the finish. This would be a great food wine. October 2021
2019 Spring Rosé “Snow Globe”, Monterey AVA, 12.34% ABV, $20 (#521*)
Winemaker’s Notes: “Made from Grenache and Syrah, grown on a rocky sunbaked hillside in far southern Monterey county, picked expressly for rosé. Beautiful pale color, high-toned aroma. It has an excess of totally harmless cream of tartar that precipitates in white flakes when refrigerated. For fun, chill it, turn it upside down, and watch it snow! Ingredients: grapes, yeast, tartaric acid. Fined with milk and silica dioxide, then filtered. At bottling: 58 ppm total sulfite, 0.4 g/L residual sugar (dry).” 50 cases produced.
My Review: “A real rosé'” Pale salmon in the glass. Caramel on the nose with real red fruit flavors on the palate. Light bodied. Balanced acidity with a nice finish. October 2021
2018 Spring Pinot Noir, Hilltop Ranch, Carmel Valley, 13.68% ABV, $30 (#522*)
Winemaker’s Notes: “In one of the many examples of AVA nonsense, this vineyard, a mile outside Carmel Valley Village, isn’t in the Carmel Valley AVA, although vineyards ten miles away, in neighboring Cachagua valley, are. So legally it’s not Carmel Valley wine, it’s Monterey wine. Whatever. It is VERY easy-drinking, medium bodied, perfectly balanced, with lots of varietal fruit and a distinctive spicy character from custom-coopered French oak barrels. Ingredients: grapes, water, yeast , 60 ppm total sulfite. Not fined, reverse osmosis filtered. At bottling: total SO2 60 ppm, residual sugar 0.5g/L (dry).” 107 cases produced.
My Review: Ruby in color. Some cherry notes on the nose. Very nice on the palate – even this non-Pinot lover liked this wine. October 2021
2017 Spring Cowboy Surfer Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Carmel Valley, 13.74% ABV, $30 (#523*)
Winemaker’s Notes: “Our second iteration of this outrageous blend of normally antithetical varieties. The first Cowboy Surfer, 2014, was a resigned wishful last resort use for a barrel of weird Pinot. People loved it! When it was gone they asked for more. Not so easy, it turned out- there’s a reason why no one blends these two. The result almost always tastes like either a pathetically weak Cab or a nasty hot puckery Pinot. It took three years, but we finally made two wines that worked. FYI the Pinot, from close to the beach, is the surfer. The Cab, from cow country high up in the hills, is the cowboy. Black cherry, raspberry, spice, and tannin, just slightly on the aggro side right now, will mellow into a very laid-back ride. Ingredients: grapes, water, yeast, sulfite. Not fined or fitered. At bottling: total sulfite 65 ppm, residual sugar 0.1 g/l (very dry).” 49 cases.
My Review: Dark in the glass yet a bit transluscent. Perfume on the nose with a deliciousd palate showing the best of the Carmel Valley fruits – a great Cab Sauv-Pinot Noir combo – we really liked ths wine. October 2021
2016 Spring Cabernet Sauvignon “Burger Wine,” Contra Costa County, 13.27%, $18 (#524*)
Winemaker’s Notes: “Contra Costa is a great place for Zin, Petite Sirah, and Carignane. It’s not well known for Cab, so we got a sweet deal on this fruit, and so do you. We treated it with the same respect as all our wines, including nice once-used French oak barrels. Medium bodied, soft tannins, juicy blackberry taste, perfect with burgers. It’s vegan, so veggie burgers work too. Ingredients: organic grapes, water, yeast, tartaric acid, sulfite. Filtered, not fined. Made using reverse osmosis. At bottling: total sulfites 88 ppm, residual sugar 0.3 g/l (dry).” 73 cases.
My Review: We tasted this wine last – it was quite good, very drinkable, especially for an $18 bottle of wine. I’d like to taste it again, as being last did it a great disservice!
2014 Bünter “Natur” Syrah, Coombsville, Napa Valley, 13.27% ABV, $30 (#525*)
Winemaker’s Notes: “Earthy, nutty, meaty, slightly spicy, slightly floral, with medium full body, good natural acidity, and rich tannins. Goes great with very spicy (hot) food, as usual for this wine. It actually cools and soothes your mouth after a bite of anything painfully spicy. The texture and mouthfeel are superb. The aroma and flavor are typical of no-sulfite reds: less fruity, more earthy. Definitely different. Ingredients: Organic grapes. Not fined, not filtered. At bottling: total SO2 2 ppm, residual sugar <0.1 g/l (bone dry).” 100 cases produced.
My Review: Beautful dark ruby. Dark fruit notes of cassis and currant on the nose. Palate consisted largely of cherry flavors and was a little lighter than I was expecting, based on the nose. October 2021
2018 Spring Red Wine “Garagitage,” Highlands Vineyard, Monterey County, 14.64% ABV, $24 (#526*) 76% Cabernet Franc, 16% Petit Verdot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon
Winemaker’s Notes:
Winemaker’s Notes: “These grapes come from a small vineyard in the hills above Arroyo Seco just north of Carmel Valley Road. They were harvested, very ripe, on Sep 30, 2018. Upon release, in spring 2021, as I write, this wine is a rough and tumble California fruit bomb, with tons of grapey flavor, plenty of alcohol, and no manners. Maybe, someday, it will grow up. Meantime, have fun! Aged 15 months in once used French oak barrels.” 76 cases.
My Review: OK, this was my favorite wine: Very dark ruby in the glass. Perfume on the nose, followed by a yummy palate of dark fruit. We keep drinking it – what an incredible wine for a bargain price! October 2021
Want to taste their wines? From their website: Great news! Bunter Spring has resumed tasting room operations. Our Carmel Valley tasting room is open Friday through Sunday 11-5 PM. We are open the rest of the week by appointment. Since we work often in Napa, at the winery and vineyard, we are not always available, so please call in advance if possible. Your hosts are fully vaccinated. The tasting fee is $20 per person for six wines, with crackers and cheese. The tasting fee is waived with a two bottle purchase. Tasting is free to wine club members as per our Wine Club policy. Call Mark at (202) 744-1343 for an appointment. We would love to see you!
You can see 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.
*Refers to wines tasted while Sheltering in Place on Sharon’s personal Facebook group “Sharon’s Central Coast (Monterey) Wine Blog” – including non-Central Coast wines.
© Decanting Monterey 2023
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