Bichi "Gran Listan"

Bichi "Gran Listan"
Varietal: Misión
Region: Tecate, Baja, Mexico
Year: 2015
Price: $26.99
Retailer: Domaine LA
Importer: Farm Wine Imports

It's a new year but I'm still up to my old tricks. I'm starting 2017 off with this light bodied red despite one of my resolutions being to drink more white wine. Partly because I've been saving this bottle for months to write about because I love the font work so much, and partly because the New Year doesn't really start until the first business day of the year. And mostly because I do not give a shit. The proverbial New Year means nothing to me. I don't detox, and I have the same resolutions every damn morning: drink more water and make motherfuckers rue the day. 

I'll get to more white wine when it gets hot again in like two weeks.

In the mean time,
MORE RED WINE.
AND PANTS. 

Baja has been blowing up as a wine region over the last couple years, but Bichi is the only natural winery there. In fact, it's the only natural winery in all of Mexico. Headed up by one of my favorite Chilean winemakers, Louis-Antoine Luyt, and chef Jair Téllez of MeroToro, Bichi is bringing little known varietals like Misión into bottles. Named for the California Missions it was historically grown on, the Misión grape is very Gamay-like and subsequently (predictably), I fucking love it.

I popped the Gran Listan and couldn't help but belting out the first line of Marty Robbins' "El Paso" over and over, much to the annoyance of everyone in my house. Literally just the "Out in the West Texas town of El Paso, I fell in love with a Mexican girl" part. So, very annoying.

But whatever!
It was love at first sip!  

Energetic and poppy but so satiny and balanced, the Gran Listan reminds me of an amazingly untrained dancer. They can't formally salsa, tap, waltz or twerk, but god damn can they cut a rug. They are having the most fun out of anyone on the floor, and their moves are so fucking smooth. Like how did they take Dad-style double-gun shooting and segue it into sexy shoulder shimmying? I thought hips only moved like that in old Skinamax movies? And were they just crip-walking? A little? But it wasn't like try hard, it was just like, really great footwork? It's magnetic and delicious, and you can't help be drawn to it. 

It's the wine you wish would be at the bar on a Saturday night, and the wine you want to hang out with on a Tuesday: casual, but always a good time. 

Tasting Notes: Vibrant, gauzy purple-red on the eyes. Smells like a horse running down a dusty road of sour Skittles powder and crushed roses. Tastes like cold-pressed sour raspberries, dusty roses and a touch of eucalyptus on the back. A little dirty, but oh so delightful and smooth.

Ross Test: Yes. YES. YESSSSS!

Louis-Antoine Luyt Legno Duro

Louis-Antoine Luyt Legno Duro
Varietal: Carginan
Region: Maule, Chile
Year: 2014
Price: $20.99
Retailer: DomaineLA

The cool thing about having a wine store you love and trust completely is that you can buy shit based on the labels with greater success. Like, I know anything I buy from Domaine is going to be up my alley so I don't have a problem throwing down $20 for dope font work. 

In this case though, the dope font work was on a bottle from Louis-Antoine Luyt, so it was going to be good no matter what. The native Burgundian's Chilean wines are organic and fermented using carbonic maceration (the same technique that makes Beaujolais so damn delicious). 

I opened this wine, and jesus christ was it acidic. Like someone got in your mouth and titty-twisted your jowls acidic. I let it breathe for a couple hours, and holy moly. It opened up into a very drinkable and fun wine. It ironed out so much, but still maintained a sense of its organic grittiness. Like gravelly guitars with clean melodies.

It's so energized, it feels light on its feet, but also grounded. Like, literally grounded, as in soil. But also just grounded, like there is something more to it. Sure it's easy-drinking and goes down like water on a Saturday afternoon, but there is a thoughtful weight behind it. It reminds me of the dance scene in Pulp Fiction. It's as playful as doing The Swim but its as serious as Uma Thurman's stare. And I want to twist with it all night long. 

Tasting Notes: Dusty and spicy with bell pepper and wet garden herbs on the nose. Earthy but tart, with a bit of salt and metalic minerality. Smooth but dirty. Juicy on the front and dry on the back. Which sounds very sexy. BECAUSE IT IS. 

Ross Test: Definitely let it open up but then you're definitely good to go. 

Also Check Out: Louis-Antoine Luyt 'Pipeno Santa Juana'

Louis-Antoine Luyt 'Pipeno Santa Juana'

Louis-Antoine Luyt 'Pipeno Santa Juana'
Price: $16.99
Year: 2014
Region: Chile
Retailer: DomaineLA

I'm not one for Daylight Savings. In fact, I fucking hate it. Sure, you get an extra hour of sleep THAT ONE DAY, but then for the next six months it gets dark before you're even home from work. Yes, I know it's "for the farmers"... in like the 1800's. It's outdated bullshit and the only thing I think Arizona and me agree on.

I find I drink more when it gets dark so early, probably because it feels a lot later. It looks like it's 8:00, which is an acceptable time to be on your second bottle. But it's actually 6:02, which is not quite as acceptable.

This is when liter bottles come in especially handy, especially delicious ones like this Pipeno Santa Juana.

I've been on a HUGE Gamay kick of late. It's basically all I've been drinking. This is not a Gamay, but you wouldn't know it. It has all the qualities I love about Gamays-- bright and light bodied, fruity but with a lovely punch of bitter-- but it's not a Gamay. It's Pais, a common grape in South America that is basically just like Gamay. Apparently.

This Pipeno is pretty perfect for the California climate right now because it can be served at room temperature or you can chill it. So you can drink it when it's in the 70's, and you can put it in the fridge and drink it when it's in the 80's. So you can drink it when it's sunny, or you can drink it when IT'S DARK AT 5:10PM. :<

If we're being honest, this Pipeno is just keeping from totally jumping off a bridge because not only is it fucking dark, but they are filming something next door with seemingly just a dog named Brody and my dogs are going bananas and the animal trainer keeps yelling at Brody and now my other neighbor dogs are going bananas AND EVERYONE IS GOING FUCKING BANANAS. EVERYONE JUST DRINK SOME PIPENO AND CALM DOWN. PLEASE FOR GOD'S SAKE, PLEASE EVERYONE CALM DOWN. AND PLEASE SOMEONE DO MY LAUNDRY, WHILE I'M JUST OUT HERE BEGGING FOR SHIT THAT ISN'T GOING TO HAPPEN.

Bless you Pipeno. You are so delicious and beautiful, you are a beacon of light in an otherwise totally dark house because I forgot to turn the lights on BECAUSE IT'S 5:11PM AND I HATE THIS. :<

But hey, at least I have half a bottle left. #liters

Tasting Notes: Crisp bouquet of berries, wet dirt and a touch of apple. Bright, tart, light bodied with a very nice finish and plush tannins. Definitely going to finish this liter and refuse to apologize for it.

Ross Test: Pretty good, although quite a bit thicker than it is drinking from a glass.