SOMOS
McLaren Vale, South Australia
A trailblazing producer that’s been on an upward trajectory since the start, SOMOS is the brainchild of Mexican born, Australian based winemaker Mauricio Ruiz Cantu.
The vibe here is very much working with outside of the box varieties (so far aglianico, cortese, vermentino, garganega, verdelho, touriga nacional, tinta cão, trincadeira, parraleta, carignan, cinsault, nero d’avola, mencia, pinot meunier, cabernet franc) and producing them in a modern, vibrant, food friendly style. Their base being the Vale, they’re spoilt for choice and access to alternate varieties, with climate suited to so many Mediterranean grapes that are appropriate for a warming world.
There is a strong focus on biodynamic and organic fruit, as well as vineyards that are part of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia (SWA).
“Their [Somos] mission is to work with responsibly farmed fruit, handled in a low-intervention way, using lesser-known grape varieties.” – Jane Lopes and Jonathan Ross MW, ‘How to Drink Australian’.
Somos ‘Fresca Fresca’ Pet Nat 2022
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Region: Adelaide Hills
Grape/Cepage: Mencia
ABV: 12%
Vegan
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Direct pressed then fermented wild on full solids. Mencia juice (frozen at the time of pressing) is then added to the wine before bottling, to finish fermentation in bottle. No SO2, Vegan Friendly.
Fresa Fresca meaning ‘Strawberry Fresh’. A pinotesque cherried, strawberried and fruit-forward sparkling rose. Very light and simple but (importantly) a clean wine with a kick of freshness and an herbal edge. – Ches Cook, LC Selections.
Somos ‘Blanquito’ 2022
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Region: McLaren Vale + Riverland
Grape/Cepage: Vermentino + Verdelho
ABV: 13.1%
Vegan
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The grapes were handpicked and were crushed before spontaneously fermenting 15-25 days on full solids in stainless steel tanks. The wine was racked off of their gross lees and settled and then racked again to tank to blend. The wine was bottled without fining or filtration.
This perfectly captures what this wine should be about: an initial burst of fresh green fruit is then backed by a somewhat generous mid-palate with ample texture and weight. There is then a lick of green herbal notes that balance the generosity of the primary fruit. All in all, a well-rounded easy drinker with ample interest and generosity. – Ches Cook, LC Selections.
Somos Barbera Rose 2022
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Region: McLaren Vale
Grape/Cepage: Barbera
ABV: 13.8%
Vegan
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Basket pressed to old French hogsheads; barrel fermented at low temperatures with plenty of stirring. It was then aged in barrel on lees, with occasionally stirring to temper the naturally high Barbera acidity and round out the palate.
Barbera seems to work well for rose in this instance. The nose is lively and red-fruited, with notes of red cherry and raspberry continuing onto the palate. There is then a lick of sour fruit, aided by the high acid of Barbera, that brings freshness and tempers ripeness. A nice wine with more genuine fruit character than many roses, yet still fermented to full dryness. – Ches Cook, LC Selections.
Somos ‘Naranjito’ 2022
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Region: McLaren Vale
Grape/Cepage: Verdelho
Farming: Biodynamic
ABV: 13.9%
Vegan
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Destemmed and fermented on skins, 50% was pressed to old oak after 1 month and lees stirred fortnightly to build texture, 50% was sealed on skins for 180 days. Unfined and unfiltered. Vegan friendly.
An orange/skin contact wine with trademark orange peel/citric freshness. There is some ginger spice there too and a lot of texture across the palate, surely gained from the extended time on skins. – Ches Cook, LC Selections.
Somos ‘Los Melones Dinamicos’ 2022
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Region: McLaren Vale
Grape: Viogner
Farming: Biodynamic
ABV: 14.5%
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Destemmed and fermented on skins, 50% was pressed to old oak after 1 month and lees stirred fortnightly to build texture, 50% was sealed on skins for 200 days.
‘Los Melones Dinamicos’ is meant to be the big brother/sister to ‘Naranjito’. It’s a more serious, more hard-core skin contact wine with real intensity to it. Additionally, Viognier is a more expressive and full-throttle variety, so it assists in achieving the wine we see in the glass. Lots more mouthfeel here with impressive carry of flavour. It’s fuller- bodied with hints of herbal tones and ginger spice. – Ches Cook, FWC.
Somos ‘Garnacha & Amigos’ 2022
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Region: Multi-Regional
Grape/Cepage: Garnacha 61%, Dolcetto 12%, Mataro 10%, Syrah 7%, Malbec 6%, Cabernet Franc 4%
ABV: 13.5%
Vegan
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Lightness of touch in the winery is key to this wine. let the vibrant Grenache fruit do all the talking.
A juicy, modern grenache with plum fruit but without excess ripeness. Rather, it’s lively on the palate and quite light in body. There is also a darker edge to the fruit, possibly taken from the Mataro component. This brings complexity through spice and savoury tones. – Ches Cook, LC Selections.
