{"title":"Iruai","description":"\u003cp\u003eMost California wine comes from the warm valleys of the coast and the interior. Iruai looks to the cold high country instead, channeling the spirit of the Alps in the rugged Shasta-Cascade mountains near the Oregon border.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIruai is the work of Chad and Michelle Westbrook Hinds. The couple began making wine in 2013 as a nomadic natural-wine project based in Berkeley, then put down roots in Etna, in California's Scott Valley, in 2019. The name Iruai comes from one of the earliest recorded names for the Scott Valley, reflecting their intent to define a sense of place rather than imitate other regions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMore on how they farm and work in the cellar in our \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/natural-wine-producers-primal-wine\/iruai\"\u003eIruai producer profile\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"oh-mah-mondeuse-iruai-california-natural-wine","title":"Iruai Oh-Mah Mondeuse 2018","description":"\u003cp\u003eIruai's Oh-Mah Mondeuse is 100% Mondeuse Noire sourced from California fruit during Chad Hinds' gypsy winemaking era under the Methode Sauvage label. The 2018 vintage was produced before Hinds and his wife Michelle permanently relocated to Scott Valley in Siskiyou County, a period when he was still drawing on vineyards across the state to explore alpine varieties that rarely appear in California.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMondeuse Noire is an ancient red grape native to the Savoie region of eastern France, genetically related to Syrah through a shared parent, Mondeuse Blanche. It produces deeply colored, high-acid wines with firm tannins and a flavor profile spanning dark cherry, blackberry, black pepper, and leather. At 12.5% ABV, this version stays lean and food-driven, retaining the grape's characteristic tension between ripe blue fruit and savory, mineral edges.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe wine is made with minimal intervention: no additives, no fining, no filtration, low added sulfites. Hinds' approach in the cellar is to shepherd each ferment through its own natural development without stripping character. The result is a wine that reads as dark and spicy but finishes fresh, closer to a cool-climate red than a warm California Zinfandel despite sharing some of the same Sierra Foothills geography.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCalaveras County sits within the Sierra Foothills AVA, east of San Francisco in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Vineyards in this area benefit from warm days, significant diurnal temperature swings, and well-draining soils of decomposed granite and volcanic rock that push vines toward concentrated, structured fruit.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Iruai","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":14621952213047,"sku":"IRUAOHMA18C","price":34.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/files\/oh-mah-mondeuse-iruai-california-natural-wine.jpg?v=1780687086"},{"product_id":"savagnin-arcana-iruai-california-natural-wine","title":"Iruai Arcana Savagnin 2018","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Arcana is 100% Savagnin sourced from Alpen Cellars' organic vineyard in the Trinity Lakes AVA, Trinity County, Northern California. Trinity Lakes sits at elevations between 1,500 and 4,000 feet in a mountainous pocket of the Klamath Mountains, where rocky, thin, gravelly loam soils and a large reservoir create a lake-moderated continental climate with a short 175-to-200-day growing season. Chad Hinds discovered Savagnin growing here under the name traminer — a non-aromatic forebear of Gewürztraminer that is genetically identical to the Jura's signature white grape.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 2018 vintage was the inaugural release of Arcana and the first wine released under the Iruai label. Hinds transported the fruit to the Bay Area, where he fermented it naturally using native yeasts with no additions. The wine was bottled unfiltered and unfined with no added sulfur. Iruai describes it as \"rocky and electric, with a tropical punch and a heady herbal tea perfume.\" Hinds also noted white flower character alongside savory umami notes, comparing it to \"a Margarita doused with snow from the top of Mont Blanc.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSavagnin is a late-ripening, thick-skinned white grape best known as the sole variety permitted in Jura's vin jaune. It produces wines with characteristically high acidity, flinty minerality, and a broad aromatic spectrum that can include citrus, stone fruit, exotic fruit, and herbal notes. In the cool, high-elevation Trinity Lakes site, the grape held acidity well while picking up a distinctly Californian ripeness alongside its alpine character.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIruai (pronounced \"ear-oo-eye\") takes its name from the earliest recorded name for California's Scott Valley. The project began as Methode Sauvage in 2013 and has since relocated from Berkeley to the town of Etna in Siskiyou County, where Chad and Michelle Westbrook Hinds have planted their own vineyard and established a permanent winery.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Iruai","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":14622011457591,"sku":"IRUAARCA18C","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/files\/savagnin-arcana-iruai-california-natural-wine.jpg?v=1780687244"},{"product_id":"shasta-cascade-iruai-natural-wine","title":"Iruai Shasta-Cascade 2021","description":"\u003cp\u003eBorn out of the mythical wine growing region I’ve taken to calling the Shasta-Cascade (from the Siskiyou Wilderness in the mountains of far Southern Oregon, down through the colliding cascades and Trinity Alps that give rise to the mysterious Mount Shasta). This wine is a love letter to our winery’s wild new home in Scott Valley, pioneering a sense of place that channels a vast mineral range, a savage elevation, and a generous beauty. Trousseau brings the blood orange tang, Monduese adds high toned black fruit and a peppery perfume, while the Blaufränkisch rounds things out with a bitter kick and savory structure. (source: Iruai)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Iruai","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43064650301656,"sku":"1143","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/products\/iruai-shasta-cascade-california-natural-wine-primal-wine.jpg?v=1718499979"},{"product_id":"bloom-phase-iruai-natural-wine","title":"Iruai Bloom Phase 2021","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is the \"choose your own adventure\" of \"red wines.\" A California riff on the lighter, high toned Southern Rhone reds we drank in Provence over the Summer, long ago. Bloom Phase is comprised primarily of whole cluster fermented Grenach and Pinot Gris, with Syrah with a splash of Muscat. Fresh and zesty, with a tropical and peppery nose, crunchy red fruits, and that smooth finish you've been looking for your whole life! Choose your own adventure and enjoy as a chillable light-bodied red (remember, you read an article about it), an orange wine, or dark rosé. (source: Iruai)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Iruai","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43064654004440,"sku":"1144","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/products\/iruai-bloom-phase-red-wine-california-natural-wine-primal-wine.jpg?v=1718499977"},{"product_id":"lounge-lizard-rose-iruai-natural-wine","title":"Iruai Lounge Lizard Rosé 2021","description":"\u003cp\u003eProudly dancing to the beat of its own steel drum, what was intended to be a light and simple rosé, decided to wander. Our lackadaisical rosé ferment hero took nearly six months to go dry, and along the way it rode bareback on a wild mare through an alpine valley in bloom, dined on every untamed blackberry thicket crowding the full winding length of the great lazy river, and crawled on its hands and knees into a cozy rabbit den to wind away the night to the hoots and plucking of a better than average woodland critter jug band. Well...after a long hibernation with those anthropomorphised critters, our rosé ferment finally went dry. We named it 'Lounge Lizard,' because of its laziness, but we mean that as a compliment. In tarot parlance, the 'Lounge Lizard' would be 'The Fool,' and we could all use a reminder to let our inner 'Fool' flag fly: cast off the worries of the world, if only for a bit of day drinking. The '21 'Lounge Lizard' Rosé is wild, rocky, and bounding with a just-pied-in-the-face frisson of big blackberry energy. Enjoy in the sun, in good company, and in quantity. (source: Iruai)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Iruai","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43072805863640,"sku":"1142","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/products\/iruai-lounge-lizard-natural-orange-wine-primal-wine_b20560e5-aec8-407b-811e-b39d9b73a396.jpg?v=1718499964"},{"product_id":"tierra-extrana-cabernet-franc-iruai","title":"Iruai Tierra Extraña Cabernet Franc 2021","description":"\u003cp\u003e[Sam Elliot's Voice:] \"The perfect 'Summer Red Wine' is a mysterious and elusive creature. I love to start a night off with a lighter bodied \/ \"chillable\" red, but despite their maximum drinkability, I don't really consider them the perfect Summer Red Wine. The thing is, when it's Summer here in the mountains you want a red wine that you can drink with something hearty from the grill and into the night around the fire as things cool down fast. For me the perfect Summer red, from riverside to camp fire is whole cluster Cab Franc. When you're dipping into your third night cap, and looking for your jacket on a high mountain Summer's night, you'll want 'Tierra Extraña' Cab Franc in your glass. Whole Cluster fermentation and extended maceration bring a bounty of pepper and perfume, uninhibited by stewy extraction, but rather infused with juicy coastal blackberry, head shop aromatics and underpinned with a deep ethereal earthiness. Enjoy by: drinking out of an enamel camping mug and stargazing by the fire.\" (source: Iruai)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Iruai","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43283431293144,"sku":"1246","price":33.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/products\/iruai-tierra-extrana-cabernet-franc-natural-wine-primal-wine.jpg?v=1718499876"},{"product_id":"cosmic-cowboy-cabernet-sauvignon-iruai","title":"Iruai Cosmic Cowboy Cabernet Sauvignon 2021","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis isn't your Boomer Uncle's Cabernet Sauvignon that comes in a ten pound bottle, and smells like a freshly burnt oak barrel with hints of douche chills. Born out of a desire to channel the psychic terroir of our new rural home and rancher neighbors: we made some rugged, old school Cab Sauv to pour with them when they bust out the home grown grass fed beef. \"Cosmic Cowboy\" is a reference to the musical ideology of Gram Parsons. It's the genre he saw as a fusion of the many folkways of Americana: Country, Folk, Soul and Rhythm \u0026amp; Blues. Unlike the \"Cowboy\" as a literal occupation, or a culturally conservative adoption of the trappings of an esoteric \"simpler time\" — the \"cosmic cowboy\" is the free-thinking transcendental jus of the melting pot of America. The marrying of these distinctive vibes can also be summed up as: my conservative Grandpa really loves Willie Nelson, but also Willie Nelson smokes a lot of pot. \"Cosmic Cowboy\" taps into big road trip energy, taking in the grand evolving landscape of the West, and churning out the Great American Novel at roadside diners along the way. Our Cab Sauv trades in the jammy fruit and cedar box of your uncle's wine fridge, for fresh plums and berries, saddle leather, and wafts of tabacco pouch. Our Cab Sauv isn't a stock broker out for a \"power lunch,\" it's a long haired alien in a nudie suit taking their space Cadillac out for a spin. The stars are shining bright out on the pasture tonight, as above so below. (source: Iruai)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Iruai","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43283442368728,"sku":"1245","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/products\/iruai-cosmic-cowboy-cabernet-sauvignon-natural-wine-primal-wine.jpg?v=1718499873"},{"product_id":"sylvan-trousseau-iruai-natural-wine","title":"Iruai Sylvan Trousseau 2021","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn nature grapes grow in the liminal spaces between the pastures of civilization and the wilds of the forest. They are the enticing fruit that connects us to the woods, and beckon us to mystery. It's a good thing they weren't experimenting with Trousseau in the States back in the sixties, or it might still be a schedule I substance today. 'Sylvan' is dank on the nose like marijuana gummy bears, juicy and alive on the palate, and rounded out with a subtle hint of dried mushrooms, duck fat and cranberry sauce (in a good way). Buy the ticket, take the ride. (source: Iruai)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Iruai","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43283449839832,"sku":"1244","price":37.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/products\/iruai-sylvan-trousseau-natural-wine-primal-wine.jpg?v=1718499870"},{"product_id":"elphame-savagnin-iruai-natural-wine","title":"Iruai Elphame Savagnin 2021","description":"\u003cp\u003eLike a neon tractor beam jetting out of the Trinity Alps, our fifth vintage of the 'Elphame' Savagnin has both exceeded my expectations and my comprehension. Rocky and electric, with a tropical punch and a heady herbal tea perfume, if you feel like you've experienced a case of missing time, that means it's working. The owls are not what they seem. (source: Iruai)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Iruai","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43283453018328,"sku":"1243","price":34.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/products\/iruai-elphame-savagnin-natural-wine-primal-wine.jpg?v=1718499868"}],"url":"https:\/\/primalwine.com\/collections\/iruai.oembed","provider":"Primal Wine","version":"1.0","type":"link"}