2021 IF YOU’RE FALLING

Grapes: Muscat and Viognier from and uncultivated vineyard in the Antelope Valley of Los Angeles County.

Prickly Pears: foraged from an uncultivated space in South Los Angeles, and picked from an uncultivated orchard that is the only one of its kind atop cliffs over the Pacific Ocean in Los Angeles.

Ingredients added during winemaking: grapes, prickly pears, tartaric acid, sulfites.

Grapes and prickly pears were picked at different times and fermented separately, indigenous fermentation, then combined in barrel. Because of the chemistry of the prickly pears (pH 5.35) tartaric was added to prevent spoilage. Settled in neutral barrel for about 6 months.

Picking prickly pears is difficult and, at times, painful. Working with them in the winery has unique considerations. How to handle the needles? How to deal with the low acidity? The fermented juice of the prickly pears is so viscous that it is more like a gel, so diluting it in a tart wine seems an ideal way to solve multiple challenges. The resulting wine has more viscosity than a typical wine, and it is cloudy. The taste is unique… hibiscus, peach blossoms, and palo santo come to mind but don’t quite capture it.

California, and the entire Western United States, is in the midst of a mega-drought. And it could get worse.

As an ecological winery, we believe that we should be using locally indigenous fruits that don’t require irrigation. We may live to see a time when water is diverted away from things like vineyards in order to allow for human survival. Prickly pears are indigenous to Los Angeles and thrive only on the winter rains, even when they are minimal, even in marginal land. They show us a way forward in harmony with our land.

And there is a story implicit in the very existence of this wine. White European grapes, brought originally to Los Angeles by European colonizers, are blended with colorful indigenous cacti. The wine is a reflection of the complex and troubling history that has shaped the current culture of this land. But it goes even deeper into the personal histories of the folks who grew the grapes and the cacti. It’s too long of a story to tell here, but we hope this wine inspires you to reflect on the history of your land… wherever you are.

John Ildefonso, the artist of the watercolor on the label, is a Los Angeles native whose own story enables him to capture the essence of this wine. We first saw John’s work on exhibit at the Mexican Consulate here in Los Angeles. Later we saw a series of paintings he made to bring attention to the history of racial class structure in Mexico, in which he used images of prickly pears. When we began to conceive of IF YOU’RE FALLING, we knew we had to ask John for his input on the label. We are extremely grateful for his generous gift of this painting. It says much more than we could, and we think it elevates this wine to something more than just a commodity.

Quite frankly, we love this wine. For what it is and for what it stands for. It is unique, and uniquely from our home terroir.

The name “If You’re Falling” comes from the sentiment, “If You’re Falling, Dive.” To us this means that we can still find a way to craft beauty out of bad circumstances. We can be the band that played as the Titanic sank. We can share grace on our way down. It also means to not fight it, to embrace it, to fully commit. Like if you’re falling in love… dive in head first. Many things are out of our control, but our response to them can still reflect the best that we are capable of.