Absentee Winery "Balou" 2023

Press 4 Red • April/May 2026 Direct Press Selection

Avi Deixler founded his Absentee winery in 2016 with the goal of crafting natural and honest wine in Point Reyes, California. Avi maintains his own cooperage and ferments in barrels. He uses only organically farmed grapes that see a tiny bit of elemental sulfur in the vineyards and never adds sulfur to his wines.

The “Balou” 2023 is a Syrah dominant blend with some petite verdot and carignan added to the mix. The fruit is purchased from the sandy soils of the Poor Ranch in Hopland, Mendocino, California. The vines are 10-40 years old, dry farmed, and have been organic since the ranch’s inception in the 1970’s. Grapes are hand picked and fermented whole cluster in raw oak barrels and barrel rolled for 10 days. They are then pressed and the juice goes back into raw oak barrel for a year. Unfined, unfiltered, with no additives whatsoever.

This vintage of Balou sings with ripe dark berry fruits, and spice. In the glass it’s a juicy, spicy, medium body dose of California terroir with a hint of coconut from the raw oak. This is a great burger and bbq wine for your next summer hang.  Jeremy Hernandez