Presenting My Fruit Trees, a chilled natural red wine, in collaboration with Neighborhood Winery. Crafted in the spirit of my garden using only the highest quality grapes, I envision this wine being enjoyed during the golden hours of summer—perfect alongside conversations in the cool shade, as an escape from the summer heat. It’s refreshing and aromatic, reminiscent of the fruits growing in my garden (and yes, it is fermented to bone dry).
Before I dive deep into my passion for this wine, I would be thrilled if you gave it a try. You can purchase it here, and we are offering free shipping on purchases of two or more bottles sitewide with the code CARMENINTHEGARDEN at checkout—feel free to explore the entire Pali collection.
Neighborhood Winery was launched in 2019 by Nick, my husband, as a branch of our family business, Pali Wine Co. Committed to crafting low intervention, natural wines, this marks the fourth vintage of “My Fruit Trees,” and I believe this year’s blend is our best yet.
I am immensely proud to be involved in every aspect of producing not only this wine, but all of our wines: from growing and sourcing the grapes from trusted vineyards to fermenting, blending, bottling, labeling, packaging, and finally serving it to you.
A bit about my wine journey: I grew up in a sober household and was unfamiliar with wine until I met Nick and his family. Initially, I was skeptical, perceiving wine as pretentious and the discussion around tasting notes as overblown. However, everything changed when my father-in-law, Tim, posed a simple question: "Do you like the wine you’re tasting, and can you describe why or why not?" Enter big, bold wines. I initially liked oaky wines, ripping acid or charred leather- because at least I could recognize that I was tasting something. Over time, my palate evolved. I invested in wine books, maintained a tasting journal, and now, wine is a vital part of my life, both personally and professionally. While it’s hard to choose a favorite, I gravitate towards light and medium-bodied reds that are fruit-forward, with elements of crushed dried florals and a slight grip. My appreciation has come a long way and I’m now able to articulate my preferences with confidence.
Growing the Grapes
I’ll take a moment to highlight three vineyards from which My Fruit Trees is sourced. As a winery, we not only cultivate our own grapes but also source from a few select vineyards throughout California. These relationships are carefully nurtured by our winemaker, Aaron Walker.
Pali Estate Vineyard: Located in the northwestern corner of the Santa Rita Hills, within the Purisima Hills—one of the three ranges that make up the AVA—our family vineyard was planted in 2012. Under the influence of Nick and me, it fully transitioned to organic farming in 2019. The vineyard is characterized by its sandy soil and experiences a chilly, oceanic, maritime climate. Here, we grow Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Gamay, Syrah, Dornfelder, and Chenin Blanc.
Enz Vineyard: Situated in a remote AVA known as Lime Kiln Valley in San Benito County, this vineyard hosts some of the oldest blocks, where Cabernet Pfeffer was first planted in the 1880s—over 140 years ago. The vines are dry-farmed, meaning they are so mature and their root systems so extensive that they tap into natural underground water sources. This eliminates the need for supplemental irrigation. The stress on these vines from the natural conditions results in lower yields but produces fruit of exceptional quality.
Nolan Ranch: Located in Alisos Canyon, this vineyard is where we have sourced Gamay, Syrah, and Clairette Blanche. Noted for its diversity of grapes and ongoing experimentation, Nolan Ranch is also favored by local natural wine producers.
Fermenting The Grapes To Make Wine
Under the guidance of our winery team, the grapes in My Fruit Trees undergo individual fermentation processes, and I'd like to highlight some nuances that define our approach.
Carbonic Maceration: This fermentation technique, widely used in the Beaujolais region for producing their signature Gamays, prioritizes aromatics in wine—a key focus for this blend. Unlike traditional red wine fermentation, carbonic maceration is more delicate and results in a lighter-colored wine with less extraction of pigment, flavor, and tannin. It involves fermenting whole grape clusters in a sealed tank undisturbed for several weeks. The tank becomes an anaerobic environment as carbon dioxide displaces the oxygen, prompting the yeasts to penetrate each individual grape berry skin and ferment the wine from the inside out.
Skin-Contact (Orange Wine): This method refers to fermenting white wine grapes in contact with their skins, unlike typical white wines where the skins are immediately pressed away and discarded after crushing. Usually, white wines are made to maximize refreshing drinkability. However, skin-contact fermentation is chosen occasionally because the skins contribute interesting flavors and add a complex texture to the wine.
Blending The Wine
The wine is composed of equal parts Pinot Noir, Syrah, Cabernet Pfeffer, Gewürztraminer, and Orange Muscat. Each grape was thoughtfully selected to offer notes reminiscent of my garden:
Pinot Noir: The Pinot Noir in this wine undergoes carbonic fermentation, presenting notes of fresh cherry and raspberry. It is light in structure, fresh, and vibrant with bright, puckery red fruits. Pinot Noir is the predominant grape in the Santa Rita Hills (recall the film Sideways?). We adhere to organic, sustainable farming practices and are progressing towards more regenerative methods.
Syrah: Also carbonically fermented, the Syrah provides a bit more body and "meatiness," enriching the blend with juicy notes of pomegranate and plum. Syrah is a recent addition to our vineyard, planted after Pierce's disease impacted part of the Pinot Noir on the western slope, near live oak trees. This became an opportunity to introduce my favorite grape variety.
Cabernet Pfeffer: This rare grape, whose origins are somewhat mysterious (you might find conflicting information online!), is crucial for its gentle tannin, herbaceousness and spice, a trait I cherish in red wines. In carbonic wines, you sometimes lose that mouthfeel, but Cabernet Pfeffer adds depth with its dark blackberry notes, making the wine linger longer on the palate.
Gewürztraminer: Fermented with skin contact (resulting in an orange wine), Gewürztraminer contributes a floral, rose petal essence, a component I specifically sought after.
Orange Muscat: The Orange Muscat, which undergoes a brief, 24-hour skin contact, is intensely aromatic. It's unlikely to be chosen as a standalone drink. It’s known for pungent and strong orange blossom and citrus perfume. This year it comprises 20% of the blend to emphasize the citrus notes—an homage to my vast citrus tree collection (as I write, a Buddha’s hand citrus is almost reaching into my office window!).
Serving It
For me, food and wine are inseparably intertwined; wine is food, and food is wine. The perfect pairings for My Fruit Trees include pizza, grilled meats, and citrus fennel salads (recipes coming soon!). You can purchase my wine online here, try it at one of the Pali Wine Co. outposts, at Neighborhood Winery in Downtown Los Angeles, or our soon-to-open restaurant, Cellar Hand, in Hillcrest. I’m also hosting several wine blending events where you can try a glass of My Fruit Trees, a 5-pour tasting flight of varietal components, and create your own custom blend to take home. While our Los Angeles blending event is sold out, you can still join me this Saturday, May 11th, for a glass. Spots are also available for San Diego on May 12th, as well as in Anaheim on the 19th, and Santa Barbara on the 24th. And who knows—maybe we’ll take this wine on tour. I’m manifesting a trip to New York. If you have any natural wine bar recs for a pop-up, hit me up!
I’m sure I didn’t cover everything so please drop any more questions you may have about this wine below in the comment section or over in the subscriber chat. Thank you for sipping with me!
Not a wine bar but Leon & Sons in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn is an amazing natural wine store you could partner with if you did an NYC event! :)
Order placed!!! Got 3 neighborhood winery bottles and I’m excited to enjoy them this spring 😊 My Fruit Trees is delicious!