This wine is an homage to Annie Londonderry, a Latvian immigrant to the United States, who in 1894 became the first woman to bicycle around the world. She was a revolutionary for her time, an entrepreneur, a voracious traveler, and a mother of three. At 5 feet, 3 inches, and 100 pounds, Annie rode her 42-pound Columbia women’s bike around the world with only three days of prior cycling experience. Upon returning, she wrote, “I am a journalist and a ‘new woman if that term means that I believe I can do anything that any man can do.” She ultimately won a wager for her trip around the world of $10,000, equivalent to 3 years of an average man’s salary.

This wine showcases the expansive nature of the Russian River Valley without giving the whole of the wine over to power and alcohol. I don’t use the saignée method to concentrate color. I want to highlight the natural tension in the skin and pulp this valley can provide when picked with a balanced approach to both ripeness and acidity.

The nose enters with a deep black cherry and raspberry compote. The rich berries blend on the palate with a hint of bay leaf, ground cardamom and a delicate bouquet of violets. The finish carries on for at least a minute like a reduced cherry glaze being dripped over a suckling pork.

This smooth, rather light-bodied wine offers a tasty combination of subtle baking spices like cinnamon and vanilla, and broad, ripe flavors of black plums and red cherries accented by toasty oak notes. Winemaker Kira Ballotta fermented different lots with variations such as whole clusters, whole berries, stems added, and crushed berries.” Jim Gordon, Wine Enthusiast