High hopes given my enjoyment of this producer, nostalgia over Sicilian varietals, and the badger label... There's nice fruit and appropriate weight here - but also an animalistic (badger?) funk here - likely a touch of brett
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This would be a great wine to stump a blind tasting group with. (I myself might have limply hazarded a cru Beaujolais guess.) A striking wine -- acidity all the way through, bright black cherry notes, with real meaty undertones. (I'd expected a juicier jammier thing than this -- there's certainly some juicy quaffabilty to it, but there were some bracing elements as well.)
Nothing else like it, really, and yet you drink it thinking that it is very much itself, and not just someone chasing the hyper-esoteric....
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Gotta agree with the previous review: this is some seriously slurpable juice. I'm not extremely familiar with more traditional bottles of this grape, so I won't try to compare it to Italian versions. But its deep, almost opaque purple color belies a vibrant, ebullient palate that's a brilliant foil for medium-weight dishes. We had it with a simple penne a la vodka pasta and it complemented the dish very well. Bright, mouthwatering acidity coupled with dark fruits, nicely balanced, and very tough to stop drinking. Very nice indeed.
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One of my favorite California winemakers, Chris Brockway, is constantly re-imagining and exploring what California wine can be. And he always has some exciting new releases up his sleeves. Chris’ wines have a freshness, purity of fruit, and total and utter drinkability. You’ll be able to see the influence of the California climate and terroir on this wine as well as a slight stylistic difference. While expressing all the dark fruit and sun-drenched qualities of the grape, the juiciness of this offering is exemplary; and with a good chill on it, it is virtually impossible to sip: you will find yourself drinking like there’s something wrong with you! Proof that wine is better than water… Extra kudos to Brockway for slapping a badger on his label. Some animals are more at ease on a bottle. Like wild boars, and badgers.
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5/11/2016 - Biggsy wrote: flawed
Quite badly corked. A real shame as I was looking forwards to trying this.
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12/30/2014 - Jahull03 wrote:
High hopes given my enjoyment of this producer, nostalgia over Sicilian varietals, and the badger label... There's nice fruit and appropriate weight here - but also an animalistic (badger?) funk here - likely a touch of brett
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11/8/2014 - wormfarmer Likes this wine: 89 Points
This would be a great wine to stump a blind tasting group with. (I myself might have limply hazarded a cru Beaujolais guess.) A striking wine -- acidity all the way through, bright black cherry notes, with real meaty undertones. (I'd expected a juicier jammier thing than this -- there's certainly some juicy quaffabilty to it, but there were some bracing elements as well.)
Nothing else like it, really, and yet you drink it thinking that it is very much itself, and not just someone chasing the hyper-esoteric....
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8/12/2014 - Brix wrote: 89 Points
Gotta agree with the previous review: this is some seriously slurpable juice. I'm not extremely familiar with more traditional bottles of this grape, so I won't try to compare it to Italian versions. But its deep, almost opaque purple color belies a vibrant, ebullient palate that's a brilliant foil for medium-weight dishes. We had it with a simple penne a la vodka pasta and it complemented the dish very well. Bright, mouthwatering acidity coupled with dark fruits, nicely balanced, and very tough to stop drinking. Very nice indeed.
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5/31/2014 - Alain Harvey wrote: 88 Points
One of my favorite California winemakers, Chris Brockway, is constantly re-imagining and exploring what California wine can be. And he always has some exciting new releases up his sleeves. Chris’ wines have a freshness, purity of fruit, and total and utter drinkability. You’ll be able to see the influence of the California climate and terroir on this wine as well as a slight stylistic difference. While expressing all the dark fruit and sun-drenched qualities of the grape, the juiciness of this offering is exemplary; and with a good chill on it, it is virtually impossible to sip: you will find yourself drinking like there’s something wrong with you! Proof that wine is better than water… Extra kudos to Brockway for slapping a badger on his label. Some animals are more at ease on a bottle. Like wild boars, and badgers.
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