I remember being deterred by cold morning bike rides when I moved from TN to OR. Twenty-plus years later, I adore the cold crisp air and cherish every second of it. The other morning I wondered what it’s like to get up in the morning for the riders of the Tour de France.

July is my favorite month of the year. There is the 4th of July, the Tour de France, and IPNC! If you are going to IPNC this year and see me, please introduce yourself! If you are not going to IPNC and want to participate in the festivities, there are quite a few options on Thursday before the event begins.

Hazelfern is hosting the Chardy Party with Hundred Suns, Big Table Farm, 00 Wines, and Parallel Food and Drink!

The Joel Palmer House is hosting a winemaker dinner with Cho Wines.

Chosen Family is doing an IPNC Happy Hour at HiFi

There are way more options you should check out. I will be at the Chardy Party, and if I can make the Chosen Family Happy Hour, I will also be there. Hope to see you there!

Do you remember The NY Times article on Maggie Harrison at Antica Terra from last week? Here is the full article if you didn’t get a chance to read it Here is the press release for Antica Terra buying Keeler Estate.

Ryan Pennington from Ste. Michelle Wine Estates has been named COO at L’Ecole.

It is a podcast week, and guess what? I am not flaking out this week! I have an interview with a husband and wife team I am 97.5% certain you have never heard of, and they are a featured winery at IPNC this year.

Before I get into the story this week, I want to let you know again starting in August, the newsletter will be transitioning from weekly to monthly. The podcast will still have new episodes, and I will likely not talk about the podcast in the newsletter. It would be best if you did a couple of things so you don’t miss an episode of my inquisitive questioning. Wherever you listen to your podcasts (Apple Podcasts, Spotify) or on YouTube be sure to subscribe and be notified of a new episode. The other action item I would appreciate is telling your friends who are also into wine about the podcast. It is my goal to pass along as many stories as possible so when you are opening a bottle of Lytle-Barnett, Aubaine, Corollary, Granville, King’s North, Domaine Divio, Lundeen, Tendril, Cho, Arabilis, Audeant, Hazelfern, and so many more you are the superstar passing along the same stories to your friends.

I am always amazed at how some of my stories come to be. There is a winery called Open Claim (more info about this winery on August 5th) I heard great things about from a handful of people. When I heard Tony Rynders was the winemaker, I had to visit! A few weeks back, I submitted a request to do a tasting and came to find out that the Director of Experience, Ari Grey, had just finished reading my write-up on IPNC last year.

Of course, I thanked him for reading the post and asked if he would be there this year. Well, come to find out, he and his wife’s label, Greywing Wines, are one of the featured wineries for IPNC this year. I wanted to know more about Ari and his wife, Brandy. I researched and instantly knew the only way to know this team was to interview them for the podcast. Ari agreed. We set up a time, and it was a blast!

Before I get too far into the weeds, I have to give a massive shout-out to my sponsor this week for the podcast, Aubaine. Below is a picture of the label. If you notice, there are different colored waves. Would you like to know the meaning behind those waves? I wanted to know also, and this week I share the fascinating story of how these two waves intertwine, attributing place.

And if, for some reason, you missed Aubaine’s scores from Wine Enthusiast last week, here they are again. I also messed up by omitting the 95 score for the 2016 Lytle-Barnett Brut.

• Aubaine 2021 Joie Anahata Vineyard Pinot Noir - 94 and Editors’ Choice
• Anahata 2021 Vineyard Estate Pinot Noir - 92

With scores like this, I wouldn’t be surprised when this issue hits the newsstand there will be no more Joie Pinot Noir left. You should use the promo code WEINNOTES for 20% off while supplies last!

Getting back to Ari and Brandy from Greywing Wines, one story I adored the ever-loving heck out of was Ari submitting wines to James Suckling without Brandy's knowledge. The story behind how Brandy learned about the scores is one for the record books!

Brandy’s ancestor Johnson Blackfeather represented the Shawnee nation in a landmark Supreme Court case in 1903, fighting for land rights, and served as a Union soldier in the Civil War. Greywing's estate vineyard is named Blackfeather after Johnson.

There are so many other great stories, and when you finish listening, visit Ari and Brandy’s website and sign up for their newsletter. They are two incredible people, and when you see them at IPNC, tell them, “A.J. sent me!”

Here are all of the links and any love in the form of likes and subscriptions is always appreciated!

• ​YouTube​
• ​Apple Podcasts​
• ​Spotify​

With Heartfelt Gratitude,

A.J.