Description
Growing up in East Los Angeles, Curt Schalchlin didn’t try his first wine until he was in college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where he majored in Business. It was through his part-time job during school at Trader Joe’s that he discovered bottles from all over the world and his casual interest in wine tasting on the weekends turned into an eventual fascination and ultimately, his vocation. Later, Curt took the opportunity to help his friend McPrice Myers, who was starting his own winery. It was while working with McPrice and Russell From, of Herman Story and Barrel 27 wineries, that Curt first fell for Rhône varietals*. A trip to the actual Rhône Valley in France and a conversation with Bernard Gripa—a third-generation grower in Saint Joseph—inspired Curt to start his own wine label and call it ‘Sans Liege’ which means “without allegiance” in French. Groundwork is Curt’s second label focused on single varietal wines, all of which are sourced from select vineyards on the Central Coast. Groundwork is all about the fundamentals. Putting to use the empirical knowledge he has gained from making wine for Sans Liege, Curt seeks to bring his experience to a new set of wines that embrace the soul and simple living of the wine-producing areas of Europe.
This bottling is made up of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Petite Sirah. The grapes were destemmed into closed top stainless-steel tanks. The fruit was allowed to begin a natural fermentation with native yeasts and given one pumpover per day until dry. Upon completion of fermentation, the fruit was gently pressed, separating the juice from the skins. The pomace was collected and hauled off-site to be utilized as fertilizer and biofuel. The juice was sent to small, mostly neutral French barriques to age for 13 months. The wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered. Inviting aromas of black fruit and spice. The palate is elegant and food-friendly, with loads of blackberry, blue plum and Bing cherry fruit, laced with a hit of vanilla and sweet herbs; nicely structured with a solid fruit profile, juicy acidity and balanced tannins through the finish.
