The name Toshokan means library in Japanese. Husband and Wife team Tim Sakhuja and Ayaka Nonaka think of winemaking a lot like curating a library. Except instead of dealing with human knowledge, they're dealing with place, time, and people. Each bottle of wine is a window into the vineyard site and broader region, the weather patterns during the vintage, and the people that farm the grapes and make the wine.
In keeping with this idea, most of their bottlings are single-vineyard, and they only source grapes from thoughtful, conscientious growers in special places throughout Northern California. In the cellar, they take a minimalist approach to keep the wines pure and expressive of site: all their wines are spontaneously fermented by the wild yeasts and bacteria naturally present on the grapes and they add very little sulfur. Their wines are lower in alcohol and meant to be enjoyed with friends and food.
About this bottle: 100% Ribolla Gialla from the Mio Vignetto Vineyard in Clements Hills
Ribolla Gialla is an ancient grape that originated along the border of the Italian region of Friuli and Slovenia, where it is still widely planted. There are only a handful of plantings in California today, but the popularity of the grape is growing thanks to a small number of devotees.
Tasting notes: Wet rocks, pear, elderflower, meringue.
12.9% abv