Las Jaras Slipper Sippers Nouveau - 750ml

Las Jaras Slipper Sippers Nouveau 2025 is produced by Las Jaras Wines in Sonoma, California, drawing from organically farmed Zinfandel and Petite Sirah sourced from early-harvest sites, with fruit picked between late August and early September to capture the elevated acidity and lower sugar levels that the nouveau style demands. The California nouveau tradition is a direct reference to Beaujolais, where the first wine of each vintage is released within weeks of harvest using carbonic maceration — a technique that prizes freshness and immediate drinkability over structure and longevity. Las Jaras, founded by winemaker Joel Burt and Eric Wareheim, has adapted the method into an expression that is distinctly Californian in its raw material while remaining faithful to the spirit of the style.

The 2025 employs several layered fermentation techniques across the Zinfandel component — portions fermented carbonically, destemmed conventionally, and via a partial reverse saignée — a deliberate fragmentation of the blend that introduces complexity and prevents the wine from reading as a single-note carbonic expression. Carbonic maceration proceeded for approximately ten days at cool temperatures before the tanks were warmed and pumped over to develop color and complete fermentation cleanly. The wine was then settled and bottled with minimal sulfur addition, preserving the primary fruit character developed during the early, cool fermentation phase.

The palate is immediate and fruit-driven — fresh raspberry, red plum, and a boysenberry quality that carbonic maceration amplifies into something vivid and direct. Petite Sirah contributes a structural thread and a faint cocoa-powder tannin on the finish that prevents the wine from reading as purely confected. The acidity is lively and persistent, providing enough grip to carry the fruit through a clean, moderately long close. The overall profile is built for early drinking and rewards a light chill.