Onward Wines 4-pack

An opportunity to try 4 beautiful wines from talented Stone Bridge School winemaker, Faith Armstrong. If you haven't enjoyed these wines yet, you need to. On offer here are a refreshing still Rose and three distinct sparkling Pet Nat wines. 

Onward Art Label Series - Onward Wines 2022 Rose of Zinfandel, Mendocino

Delicate aromas of white peaches intertwined with wild roses; layers of citrus, red plum and yellow quince flavors; and a refreshing, clean finish, thanks to its vibrant acidity. This wine is brimming with layers of vibrant fruit and minerality, while having silky texture. She is friendly, fun, and easy to be around!

This old vine Zinfandel is from Hill vineyard in Mendocino, which was planted in the early 1970s and is organically farmed by the Johnsons, who are 5th generation growers and the owners of our long time favorite vineyard Hawkeye Ranch in Redwood Valley.

This is a whole cluster press rose, which was gently pressed for about 4 hours of skin contact time and then the juice was cold settled in stainless and fermented in neutral French oak BBL and puncheons.

This label features a painting by Sally White King, visit her website sallywhiteking.com to see more of the works of art that this amazing woman creates.

Name of Winery: Onward

Bottle Size: 750ml

Number of Bottles: One

Varietal: Rose of Zinfandel

Appellation: Mendocino

Onward Wines 2022 Little Darlin' Petillant Naturel Rose, Suisun Valley

This wine is still 100% wine grapes, predominately Malvasia, with no flavorings or additives, but I changed things up a bit in the cellar.

Here I took un-pressed and still fermenting Malvasia Bianca grapes from the 2022 Skin Fermented Malvasia Bianca lot, after draining the free run from this tank.  A small amount of filtered water was then added to the remaining unpressed must, where the grapes were foot tread and allowed to finish fermenting.  To add complexity in flavors, after fermentation was complete this lot was pressed overtop of Pinot Noir skins, at which point the wine gained color and aromatic complexity.

To further gain aromatic complexity and layers, I splashed fermenting Malvasia Bianca into the pressed and settled wine and then hand bottled the wine, so it finished fermenting in bottle, making her a Pét Nat, loaded full of refreshing natural bubbles.

This label features a painting by daughter Chloe, she is my Little Darlin, who is both a talented artist and keen helper in the cellar.m She did the majority of the foot treading on this lot.

Winemakers tasting Notes: Boasting loads of tart freshness with notes of wild raspberry, tart cranberry, cara cara oranges and a hint of white stilton and kumquat, all the while framed on a rebellious undercarriage of attitude that seems to boc in the face of boundaries.  She is a true wild child who is having a refreshingly good time!

Name of Winery: Onward

Bottle Size: 750ml

Number of Bottles: One

Varietal: Rose of Malvasia Bianca

Appellation: Suisun Valley

Onward Wines, 2022 Petillant Naturel Sparkling Red Wine, North Coast

From winemaker and proprietor Faith Armstrong: Making this wine is an emotional journey which is truly about passion. For me this journey represents an amazing intersections of two love affairs; my love of making Pet Nat and my love of making Hawkeye Ranch Carignane and Carbonic/Nouveau style Zinfandel. There are endless layers to Pét Nat, both in the making it and in the enjoying of it. This wine offers a unique combination of youthfulness and complexity.

Name of Winery: Onward

Bottle Size: 750ml

Number of Bottles: One

Varietal: Sparkling Carignane

Appellation: North Coast

Onward Wines, 2022 Petillant Naturel Sparkling Malvasia Bianca, Capp Inn Ranch, Suisun Valley

This Pét-Nat is floral and fruity, but refreshingly bone-dry. The opening aromatics are like sticking your nose in a fermentation vat, with yeasty brioche notes and lively youthful freshness. To follow are notes of night blooming jasmine, citrus blossom, melon rind, warm Kaffir lime scones with preserved lemon with a refreshing hint of sea air, and did I mention soft tiny delicate bubbles?!

Name of Winery: Onward

Bottle Size: 750ml

Number of Bottles: One

Varietal: Sparkling Malvasia Bianca

Appellation: Suisun Valley 

Onward Wines are single-vineyard, site-driven wines from vineyard sites that are very special to me. I am a true believer in personal connection and there is a story behind each vineyard site and how it came to be part of my portfolio. In these stories, you will learn more about the people behind these vineyards. I liken my connection to these vineyards to that of one's favorite shirt or coffee mug or chair. Like a well-worn fabric or a slightly chipped mug that may have initially caught my eye for its beauty, but over the years has won my heart because it just feels right. When it comes to vineyards this happens too, because of a combination of my connection with the vines themselves and my connection with those that tend them. For me, the grower's hands are most definitely part of the terroir.

My style is about letting the vines speak. They are the art, I am the canvas, and my job is to give them a chance to share their beauty in each and every vintage. My decisions are driven by the vineyard and the vintage, my cellar practices are to uphold the truths I find in the vineyard. To this end, I pick early looking for a balance of flavors at lower ripeness, as I find this is when each vineyard is in its most unique expression of self.

Discover more at Onward Wines