Rajat Parr has brought us some fantastic wines from California with Sandhi, Domaine de la Cotê, and Phelan Farm. In this new project (named for this father Brij), Raj embraces the coastal microclimate of the SLO Coast AVA to make accessible wines from small growers that Raj knows personally.

Oso Rouge is made entirely from grapes grown organically at the RAG vineyard on the SLO Coast. When Raj was first given a tour of this vineyard, they happened upon a black bear eating grapes right off the vine, which of course inspired the beautiful label. The two varietals are each whole-cluster fermented in large foudres (Mourvedre macerated for 13 days and Grenache for 16 days), then the wine is aged 12 months in old Stockinger Foudres. No new oak here whatsoever! The wine is bottled by hand without fining or filtering. Oso Rouge is a bright and expressive red that's light on its feet, with more spicy earth than fruit, and the fun bear on the label is always a plus. Only 3,300 bottles produced. 

Pairing: Carne Asada Tacos

Grape: 80% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, both from the RAG vineyard

Soil: Marine sediment

Viticulture: Practicing Organic