Wine lovers in search of the world’s newest brand found it in the Alphabet Streets at the end of June, when a new venture called Libelle Wines had its invitation-only premiere.
Several distinctive traits make Libelle both interesting in the present and full of potential for the future.
Winemaker Kathleen Ward unveiled three small-production white wines, which traveled an unusual journey from vine to bottle. The grapes for all three came from the Grand Valley in western Colorado, near the town of Palisade.
This is an up-and-coming region known for high elevation, dry summer conditions and wide daily temperature swings. These conditions add to quality by helping the grapes preserve natural acidity while prolonging the growing season. The 2017 Riesling, for example, was harvested in October.
After harvest, the grapes were crushed, chilled to 36 degrees and trucked non-stop in sealed bins to the winery in Calistoga in the northern Napa Valley. That’s where Ward practices her trade as assistant winemaker for Theorem Vineyards, a highly regarded Cabernet producer. She has worked in the Napa Valley for the past seven years, after studying enology at Texas A&M.
She fermented all three wines in used oak barrels, which provides a natural control on fermentation temperature while enriching the texture of the wine. After that, she put them into stainless steel for aging and a bit of lees stirring, in which the wine sits on the residue of fermentation, another smart move to boost texture and flavors.
The labels are clear and well designed, featuring a prominent dragonfly (“libelle” in Dutch, Ward’s grandmother’s native tongue). Ward told the Palisadian-Post that she chose the brand name in hopes that “some of the delicate beauty of the dragonfly can come out in my wines.”
Her hopes are well placed because all three wines are clean and well crafted. The 2017 Riesling shows citrus and lychee notes with a welcome touch of chalk. The 2018 version showed its increased lees time in a more honeyed texture.
Both Rieslings were dry, but the latter was more floral and a bit rounder. The 2018 Gruner Veltliner was spicy and citrus laden, with a hint of earth.
Ward’s sister Sarah Christensen serves as marketing manager for the wines from her home base in Pacific Palisades. The sisters hosted about 40 guests at the unveiling, in which the three wines were poured alongside gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and prosciutto-wrapped asparagus catered by Thyme Café of Santa Monica.
They counted the event a success because they sold nearly every bottle that they brought. Moreover, when the hosts offered to change the guests’ drinks to cocktails midway through the event, “No one wanted to change,” recalled Ward with a smile.
For now, production is tiny, amounting to just over 100 cases. The sisters plan to expand the brand, but slowly. Sales happen through a mailing list and on the Libelle Wines website, for direct shipping from the Calistoga winery.
Many excellent wine brands have gotten their start in just this fashion, as a side project of a winemaker who works more for love than money. The sisters at the head of Libelle Wines are smart and caring, and they are making many of the right moves. Their competence and commitment promise a bright future.
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