When it's written in the stars ....
This is, perhaps, the purest expression of our collaboration with the extraordinary Peter Work of Ampelos Cellars in the Santa Rita Hills, California. A Danish expat, Peter’s path into wine reads like fate’s quiet insistence. In 2011, while working in finance in New York, he was bound for a morning meeting at the World Trade Center on the 9th—yet by some miraculous stroke of luck, he never arrived on time, and thus he lived. He took this as a summons from higher powers to change course entirely, to honor a long-held dream, and to found his own wine project amid the beautiful folds of the Santa Rita Hills.
We had long found Peter’s story uniquely beautiful, and when he agreed to craft our very first Winemakers’ Wine, we were overjoyed.
Our paths crossed in 2021, in the hush of Covid, and the groundwork for collaboration was swiftly laid. When the world opened again, Peter packed his cowboy hat and boots and flew to Mallorca for the 2023 harvest. Already smitten with a GSM blend, he settled in for the season and took charge of much of the vinification himself. Though Binivista is among the world’s most modern wineries, Peter chose a deliberately old‑school path: spontaneous fermentations in small, uncooled vats and manual pigeage—bare feet and patience. He then matured the wine primarily in 300‑litre French oak for 18 months, where we normally use 500 litre barrels and only a maximum of approximately 12 months of ageing.
Peter returned to the winery often to taste and tend “his” wines, and in April 2025 we finalized the blends together. Two distinct cuvées emerged: two barrels that harmonized exquisitely, and eight that sang in concert. The first wine shone brightest, so we bottled it exclusively in magnums—the proud big brother.
For the names, we lifted our eyes skyward, in Peter’s biodynamic spirit, and found Libra blazing above on the very days he picked. With a certain gravity in Peter’s name and craft—and in the wines themselves—we christened them for the constellation’s leading stars: Beta Librae for the top cuvée, and Alpha Librae as its poised younger brother.
Here some words about Alpha Librae....
A deep, sultry nose—blackberry and plum draped in dried rose petals and lavender, threaded with raw licorice. Beneath, a savory hum of well-hung meat and a cool flicker of menthol.
On the palate, depth and juiciness in equal measure: a pure, luminous core of ripe sweet fruit lifted by vibrant freshness. Dark berries entwine with pomegranate and ripe redcurrant; the tannins are supple yet assured, lending backbone and poise. Complex and bold, yet silk-smooth—dangerously easy to love.
