# Folk Machine Jeanne d'Arc (2025)

- **Producer:** Folk Machine
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Verdelho
- **Region:** California, United States
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 11.5%
- **Average price:** €21
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** peach, apricot, orange, apple, fennel, toast, smoke, dried apricot, honey, hazelnut

## About this wine

Folk Machine is a project under Hobo Wine Company, founded by nomadic winemaker Kenny Likitprakong and Lynn Wheeler. Operating without an estate winery or owned vineyards, Likitprakong sources fruit from independent growers throughout California. The Folk Machine label pays homage to Woody Guthrie's famous guitar moniker 'this machine kills fascists', reflecting an ethos grounded in authentic, food-friendly, and accessible winemaking. The Jeanne d'Arc cuvée represents a long-running exploration of skin-contact winemaking, sourcing Chenin Blanc from Wilson Vineyard in Clarksburg along with Viognier and Verdelho from Mangels Ranch in Suisun Valley.

## Interesting facts

- First released in 2008, Jeanne d'Arc was one of California's early pioneering skin-contact white wines.
- Winemaker Kenny Likitprakong works as a 'nomadic' winemaker, sourcing fruit across California without owning estate vineyards.
- The Folk Machine label name directly references folk legend Woody Guthrie.

## Food pairing

The elevated acidity and light skin-contact texture cut through rich cured meats and creamy cheeses while seamlessly pairing with fresh herbal Mediterranean dishes and roasted fish.

## Wine making process

For the 2025 vintage, fruit was hand-picked early around August 20th in the 20 to 21 Brix range to preserve vibrant natural acidity. Whole grapes were destemmed into open-top fermentors and left on skins for extended maceration. Spontaneous, uninoculated fermentation with wild yeast began naturally after nine days on skins. Pressed dry after one month, the wine aged in neutral French oak barrels, undergoing full spontaneous malolactic fermentation. The finished wine received a single minimal sulfur addition prior to bottling, remaining unfiltered and unfined.