Rising star pop-up tasting room calendar


 

Each month, our shop highlights a different small, local California winemaker by acting as a pop-up tasting room, exclusively featuring their wines by the flight or glass. Drop in anytime all month to taste and discover!

 

April 1-30: fine disregard wine co.

Mike Schieffer and Kara Maraden

We are excited to share this winemaking duo with all of you. We got a tip from one of our long-time club members about this company. Once we tasted it was unanimous amongst the Bay Grape team to bring these wines in for our featured producer pop-up tasting room.

“The personal project of Mike Schieffer and Kara Maraden. Our focus is making wines that reflect California and its rich viticultural history. We seek out compelling vineyards (often old vines planted in interesting soils, preferably farmed organically), and practice a philosophy of minimal intervention in all of our winemaking. We hope you enjoy the wines that are a result of this commitment.”

FEATURED WINES

$22 - Flight of all three wines 

2020 Semillon May Vineyard $17/gl  ~  $46/bottle to go

12.3% ABV ~ white ~ medium body

VINEYARD: The 2020 Napa Valley Semillon was sourced from a block of thirty year old vines planted in Napa Valley’s Oak Knoll District. Because of runoff from the nearby Vaca Mountains, the soils here are more alluvial than most of the AVA. Daytime temperatures are also typically ten degrees cooler than farther up valley due to the moderating influence of San Pablo Bay. Interestingly, scattered throughout the block are examples of what may be a pink skinned mutation of Semillon that’s known as the Madeira Clone in South Australia.

WINEMAKING: Fruit was whole cluster pressed and settled in tank for twenty-four hours. The juice was then barreled down into used and neutral French oak (228L barriques). Both primary and malolactic fermentation were spontaneous while additions focused on yeast nutrients as they were needed (our winemaking is intentionally “lo-fi”, eschewing watering back and acidulation). A light lees stirring preceded MLF, after which the wine spent fourteen months sur lie before bottling.

2019 Carignane Mule Plane $17/gl  ~  $46/bottle to go

13% ABV ~ red ~ medium body

VINEYARD: The 2019 Mule Plane Carignane is sourced from own rooted, head trained vines planted in the late1920’s near the Mokelumne River in Lodi. The soils are well draining Sandy Tokay Loam and the vineyard benefits both from its immediate proximity to the Mokelumne (1300 feet) as well as its exposure to the cooling breezes of the California Delta. John Shinn’s family has farmed Mule Plane for more than four generations; they named the vineyard in honor of the mule drawn plane used by his grandfather’s uncle to level the ground prior to planting.

WINEMAKING: Fermentation was 100% whole cluster and spontaneous for both primary and malolactic. Gentle pumpovers were used to optimize extraction. Additions focused solely on yeast nutrients as they were needed, eschewing watering back and acidulation. After ten days on skins, the wine was pressed into neutral Burgundy barriques for a fourteen month sur lie elevage. It was then bottled unfined and unfiltered.

2022 Chenin Blanc Chalone $18/gl  ~  $48/bottle to go

12.9% ABV ~ white ~ light body

VINEYARD: The 2022 Chalone Vineyard Chenin Blanc was sourced from vines planted in1919 in the Gabilan Mountains of Monterey County by Lucius Charles Tramm. The vines were planted in a unique combination of limestone, decomposed granite, and underlying volcanic material (one of the only places worldwide featuring the three). As importantly, at an elevation of 1800’, they are greeted by an evening marine layer that regularly cools nighttime temperatures over 50°F from their daytime highs. In 2022, frost events hit the old vine Chenin on two separate occasions, dropping yields to a scant 0.7 tons per acre and producing clusters smaller than the fist sized clusters typically found in the block.

WINEMAKING: After the fruit was whole cluster pressed, the juice was barreled down into neutral 228 L barriques (both French oak). Fermentation took place in the same barrels, which was spontaneous for both primary and malolactic. Additions focused on yeast nutrients only as they were needed (our winemaking is intentionally “lo-fi”, eschewing watering back and acidulation). The wine was given a light stirring of the lees to induce malolactic fermentation and aged fourteen months sur lie before bottling.

 
 

Previously featured producers:

march 2025: wonderwerk

february 2025: beauregard vineyards

January 2025: Hobo & Folk Machine

December 2024: Keep Wines

November 2024: Wavy Wines

October 2024: Poe, Ultraviolet & Mommenpop

September 2024: Eden Rift

August 2024: Birichino

July 2024: Mantha Wine Co.

June 2024: Union Sacré

May 2024: Martha Stoumen

April 2024: Ruth Lewandowski

March 2024: Carboniste

February 2024: Black-Made Wines

January 2024: Monte Rio Cellars

December 2023: Tessier

November 2023: Üseless Ümlaüt

October 2023: Adroît

September 2023: Âmevive

August 2023: Onward Wines

July 2023: Osa Major

June 2023: Bodkin Wines

May 2023: Lo-Fi

April 2023: Orixe Sotelo

March 2023: Belong Wine Co.

february 2023: Gondak cellars

January 2023: Fine disregard

December 2022: Dunites

November 2022: Complant

October 2022: Thee & Thou

September 2022: Massican Crush Beers (it’s Harvest!)

August 2022: Haarmeyer Wine Cellars

july, 2022: Fres.co

June, 2022: Raj Parr

May, 2022: Florez Wines

april, 2022: las jaras

March, 2022: Raft wines

february, 2022: Hobo Wine Co.

January, 2022: Stirm Wine Co.

December, 2021: Frenchtown Farms

November, 2021: Birdhorse Wines

October, 2021: Mountain Tides

September, 2021: St. Romedius

August, 2021: Populis & Les Lunes

July, 2021: Massican

June, 2021: Enfield Wine Co.

May, 2021: Benevolent Neglect

April, 2021: Carboniste