Oxlee Graham Elinor's Alder Springs Vineyard White Blend Mendocino County 2024

At ACME, we take pride in supporting a woman-owned and operated wine brand like ours, which offers exceptional wines and a genuine passion for the industry. In the case of Oxlee Graham (founded by owner/winemaker Jennie Murphy in 2022), it feels dually impactful as Jennie's two grandmothers inspired her to start a personal winemaking label and continue as the source of motivation for Oxlee Graham each vintage. The strength these women exemplified, the hard work they honored, and their lasting love and support gave Jennie the push to create something for herself, naming the brand Oxlee Graham after their maiden names.

While studying chemistry at UC Davis, Jennie fully expected to enter the field of forensics to utilize her degree. However, an impactful presentation by a winery on the applications of chemistry in winemaking caught her interest, and she decided to spend a summer internship working for Korbel. Just that one season in their cellar and labs hooked Jennie, who was mesmerized by the multi-faceted nature of winemaking where science and art converged. Upon graduation, she accepted a position as an Enologist at Paul Hobbs Wines, where leaders tasked her with updating and upgrading the lab's procedures and equipment. Over the next decade-plus, Jennie worked her way to the role of Director of Winemaking, gleaning knowledge and experience from every role along the way. Though she cherished her time at Paul Hobbs, Jennie was seeking a creative outlet to explore new varietals, regions, and winemaking techniques. So, in 2022, she broke out on her own to start Oxlee Graham to craft wines that "embody passion, elegance, and creativity…[with] genuine varietal expression [that] comes from minimal intervention in the cellar and a great focus on detail." Jennie began with single-vineyard Pinot Noirs, but in 2023, she couldn't pass up the opportunity to introduce a unique white blend to the mix from the iconic Alder Springs Vineyard in Mendocino.

Alder Springs owner and farmer Stu Bewley is renowned for his ingenuity and pioneering reputation for planting lesser-known grapes. After testing multiple sites, Stu planted the first vines on the 6,000-acre property in the early 90s. He found that Alder Springs' soil composition, microclimate, and elevation made it an unexpectedly exceptional plot for grape growing. Stu is no stranger to experimentation and has introduced hundreds of obscure varietals, such as Petite Arvine, Falanghina, Chenin Blanc, and Picpoul Blanc while using regenerative farming techniques at a time when those two words were less buzzworthy. The 2024 vintage was marked by atmospheric rivers in the Winter, which replenished the groundwater supply and supported the vines during the warmer-than-usual temperatures of that Summer. Alder Springs' usual cool growing season allows the fruit to stay on the vine longer and develop flavor while promoting naturally higher acidity; however, the vineyard experienced multiple days over 100 degrees, pushing harvest to the earlier side of August 30th.

Elinor's white blend is a combination of 50% Massal selection Chenin Blanc and 50% Clone 1 Picpoul Blanc. Massal selection is not a certified varietal clone but rather a traditional method used to plant new vineyards by sourcing cuttings of healthy vines from well-established and desirable vineyards. Often, cuttings from hundreds of different vines are used to promote biodiversity for the new vineyard, which discourages disease and invites more complexly flavored layers in the wines. Jennie fermented the blend with native yeasts in cooler temperatures to promote the development of more floral and fresh white fruit in the wine. It underwent partial malolactic fermentation in 100% stainless steel tanks—the wine rested for a quick four months before bottling the 132 cases. Jennie describes the wine by saying, "This exceptional white blend has an undeniable zest that dances along the tongue as its crystalline white gold hue sparkles in the glass. Its playful nature reveals aromatic notes of fresh pomelos, kaffir lime leaves, and delicate lemon blossoms. The mouthwatering salinity delights the palate and unfolds in complex layers of white tea, pink grapefruit, freshly shaved Marcona almonds, and whipped lilikoi foam. The bright acidity carries the wine to a beautiful and long finish."