May 5, 2023

J. LOHR “Flume Crossing” Sauvignon Blanc 2022

(Monterey County, California) $17

Sauvignon’s tropical side (not a whit of green). Easy to drink. Chill cold and have it with brunch.

88 points KM

Available at Wine.com

The “natural wine” movement began in which of these places?

A. Willamette Valley, Oregon

B. Beaujolais, France

C. Santa Barbara County, California

D. Wachau, Austria

The identity crisis that began in Beaujolais in the 1970s is now considered the beginning of the modern natural wine movement. The man who initiated what would become a global crusade was the late Marcel Lapierre, a then-young wine grower in Morgon. Lapierre had reportedly grown “disgusted” by his own wines, by his (and everyone else’s) use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and by the cheap, commercial wines that Beaujolais was increasingly known for. Abruptly, he changed course, began to farm organically, and returned to making Beaujolais the way he remembered his grandfather had. Three other winemakers joined him, and together the Bande des Quatres (“Gang of Four”) began making traditional, artisanal Beaujolais. Within a decade, the so-called natural wine movement that had begun in France had moved around the world.

“A bottle of wine is an investment to keep the people we love at table for an extra hour every day.”

—Wes Hagen, author and winemaker, J. Wilkes Winery

—Wes Hagen, author and winemaker, J. Wilkes Winery

J. LOHR “Flume Crossing” Sauvignon Blanc 2022

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