Las Jaras, Glou Glou Red (2024)

Las Jaras is a joint project between Eric Wareheim (of Master of None and the Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! fame) and his friend Joel Burt, who has been making wine in Napa and Sonoma since the early 2000’s. Joel and Eric on this wine: “Pizza, burgers, wine: the Las Jaras holy trinity presents Glou Glou, the perfect wine for circle foods. Most of the grapes underwent carbonic maceration, the classic fermentation method of the Beaujolais, which means that fermentation happened inside of berries themselves, causing them to explode in happy, boozy ecstasy. That’s how you’ll feel when you drink this wine—it dances in your mouth.” Grapes: the 2024 blend is 53% Zinfandel, 34% Carignan, 7% Petite Sirah, 6% Grenache Winemaking: different vinification methods including carbonic maceration, traditional skin maceration, and what the guys call reverse saignée (whole cluster press of tannic red grape varieties and then adding that juice to a red wine fermentor, to increase the juice to skin ratio to make a lighter red wine). The goal is always to make a layered, cohesive blend. Most of the lots were fermented with carbonic maceration, a gentle process that helps to keep early-harvest wines from becoming too tannic. After 7-15 days, depending on the lot, the juice was pressed off its skins where it fermented natively in tank after 10ppm sulfur was added. Then, to keep the wine bright and fresh, half of the lots were aged in barrels and half were aged in stainless steel tanks. This wine received a small amount of sulfur and it was filtered prior to bottling. Personality: “the most refreshing red wine ever, and the perfect antidote to long summer days and the heat of the grill. On the nose, it is a sea of hibiscus and raspberry with undertones of roasted coffee and wet rock. The palate is intense and fleshy with flavors of black plum and pomegranate and a long textural finish. Glou Glou has enough acid to stand up to your favorite tomato sauce, as well as intense berry notes that perfectly complement the char of a burger or perfectly cooked pizza crust. Serve this slightly chilled, and you will be the hero of your next backyard barbecue.”