THE STORY
Bunter Spring Winery held a members’ tasting in late May and I invited myself to attend. We have been fans of Mark Bunter’s wines since we first discovered them many years ago. This was a small, casual event at which everyone was made to feel like family.
Over the years we have known him he has made every type of wine, including crisp whites, fun red blends, experimental Syrahs and serious Cabernet Sauvignons. And listing every ingredient. You need to know what you are drinking!
Mark isn’t making wine anymore, but everyone was encouraging him to get back in the game. A selfish bunch, aren’t we!
THE WINERY
From their website:
“Bunter Spring Winery is a small family operated winery in the Coombsville AVA in the southeast corner of Napa Valley. We also have some production in Monterey. Most vintages we make a few hundred cases of wine, mostly for ourselves, but also for sale to friends on our mailing list, and a few restaurants and wine shops. Why make wine? We just don’t care for many of the wines sold today. We make the kind of wine we want to drink: balanced, interesting, made with few or no additives, and low or no sulfite. We list all ingredients, the actual sulfite level, and the actual alcohol level on every label. Incredibly, NO OTHER WINERY DOES THAT…”
THE WINES
Today I am presenting 7 Bunter Spring wines, some of which I have written up before. As always, winery notes come from the tasting sheet, website, or conversations with the winery. Any mistakes are mine and mine alone.
2022 Bunter Spring White Wine, Santa Clara Valley AVA, Santa Clara County, 13% ABV $20 (#1480)
Winemaker’s Notes: “Your basic dry white wine, like in the Southern Mediterranean. Good with fish.” 40 cases produced.
My Review: Mark said this might be Sauvignon Blanc, but neither he nor we think so. Honey and lime on the nose. Acidic palate with a Meyer lemon finish. May 2026
2022 Bunter Spring Chardonnay, Napa Valley, Napa County (#1778)
My Review: Fresh Meyer lemon on the nose. Not like a Monterey Chardonnay at all. May 2026
2021 Bunter Spring Pinot Noir, Monterey County, 13.5% ABV, $40 (#1482)
Winemaker’s Notes: “Mostly from a famous vineyard in SLH, plus a little lower Carmel Valley fruit. French oaky, fruity, spicy, fun.”
My Review: This wine has aged a bit since my last review. A brown-ness in the color. Cherry, plum and leather on the nose. Dark cherry, leather on the caramel-y palate. Still a bit heftier than your typical SLH Pinot Noir. May 2026
2018 Hippie Syrah, Napa County, 14.12% ABV, $30 (#1483)
Winemaker’s Notes: “Here, the ‘wild’ yeast behaved themselves during a peaceful anti-establishment fermentation. We added a little sulfite to the one third that underwent two weeks of carbonic maceration. For a “Hippie” wine, it’s pretty square, with spicy American oak character and Napa depth of flavor, but it does have a little dank streak any Deadhead could love. Ingredients: Organic grapes, water, sulfite. Not filtered, not fined. At bottling: total sulfite 37 ppm, residual sugar <0.1 g/l (dry).
My Review: Purple in the glass Dark fruit, and a little smoke on the nose. The palate is still delicious. Continues to be one of our favorites of Mark’s wines! May 2026
2017 Bunter “Natur” Syrah, Coombsville AVA, Napa County, 12.86% ABV, $30 (#1483)
Winemaker’s Notes: “50% carbonic maceration. Subtle, delicious, complex, with superb balance and a structure that complements many foods, and never overwhelms the palate. Definitely different from Cab, but familiar enough that any red wine lover could embrace it. Ingredients: Organic grapes, water, sulfite. Not fined, not filtered. At bottling: total SO2 39 ppm, residual sugar <0.1 g/l (bone dry).
My Review: Caramel on the nose, followed by an acidic palate. We’ve tasted this wine several times over the years and find it interesting as it matures in the bottle. May 2026
2017 Bunter Spring “Supernatural” Syrah, Coombsville AVA, Napa County, 13.45% ABV, $30 (#1780) Organic, No Added Sulfites
Winemaker’s Notes: “This wine meets all criteria to be labeled “Organic”. Nothing was added to it. It has a distinctive earthiness and toasted nut overtone, accentuated by a bourbon-like aroma and ripe red fruit flavors. The most “natural” of all our wines. Not filtered, not fined. At bottling: total sulfite 4 ppm, residual sugar <0.1 g/l (totally dry).
My Review: Lots of berry fruit with a touch of blue cheese or soap on the nose. The fruit carries over to the palate with a sour finish. I’d like to try this one again with food. May 2026
2014 Spring Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles AVA, San Luis Obispo County (#1780)
My Review: Delicious. Mark knows how to make great wines. Sadly, this was not available for purchase! May 2026
You can sometimes find a pop-up tasting with Mark Bunter and Margaret Spring in the back room of the Big Sur Vineyards tasting room in Carmel Valley Village. Check out the Bunter Spring Winery Facebook Page and the Bunter Spring Winery Instagram page for more information.
© Decanting Monterey 2026
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