Devium “Sans Soufre” Mourvèdre, French Creek 2020

“Brambly, red-fruit driven & wild.” - Keith Johnson

Jackson’s Notes:

I’ve been admiring Keith Johnson’s handiwork for a while, since he’s been the winemaker at Sleight of Hand Cellars, a mainstay producer in Washington state. 

Devium is the equivalent of a lead singer doing an exciting new side project, and it’s better than Angels & Airwaves or Wings. Keith Johnson decided to start making Devium wines a few years ago, so he could really lean into low-intervention viticulture and winemaking. For example, this cuvée sees absolutely no sulfur additions whatsoever. He works exclusively with vineyard sites that are practicing sustainable and/or organic, regenerative agriculture.

French Creek Vineyard is an organically-farmed site in Yakima Valley, not far from the eponymous river. The Yakima supplies a huge amount of water to the agricultural industry in eastern Washington, as does the Columbia. Damon Lalonde farms French Creek and helps it realize its full potential–the fact that the vines are oriented northwards helps delay ripening of an already slow-to-ripen grape. This additional time helps the Mourvèdre grapes come to phenolic ripeness, not just sugar ripeness.

“My sans soufre cuvées always remind me of a child running barefoot in the woods,” says Keith. There’s a certain wildness and untamed nature to this particular wine that just got me excited about it. It’s like crushing a handful of fresh strawberries while standing in the bulk spice aisle at an organic grocery store. Keith continues, “this wine is all about the margins and the unseen things, but remains clean throughout.” I couldn’t agree more, and we’re so excited to share it with you.