The 2013 Noiro Pinot Noir is approachable and fruit-driven, with balanced acidity.  This is a decidedly California-style Pinot Noir.  Aged in new and (mostly) used French oak barrels, this wine possesses a brilliant dark garnet red color and exotic aromas of orange peel and vanilla, alongside red fruit.  A burst of dark cherry moves smoothly to secondary citrus and strawberry fruit flavors, framed by a complex mocha note.  Decidedly medium-bodied, with a lush mouthfeel, silky tannins, and fresh acidity.  With great structure and true varietal character, the quality fruit in this wine delivers on its promise. 

100% Pinot Noir, featuring fruit from five of Central and Northern California's finest vineyards and most prestigious appellations.  Bravium Winery specializes in producing vineyard-designated Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  The grapes that go into our Noiro cuvee come from the following world-class vineyards and appellations, listed from south to north:

Rosella's Vineyard in Santa Lucia Highlands

Beau Terroir Vineyard in Napa Carneros

Seppa Vineyard in Sonoma Coast

Signal Ridge Ridge Vineyard in Mendocino Ridge

Wiley Vineyard in Anderson Valley

The growing season in our cool-climate Pinot Noir vineyards is relatively lengthy, allowing for physiological ripeness and full flavor development on the vine. In the winery, Pinot Noir was carefully destemmed and pressed upon arrival at the winery, retaining approximately 20% whole clusters in the fermenters. Fermentation initiated spontaneously in a combination of oak and stainless steel fermenters, with twice-daily hand punchdowns followed by gravity racking to new and neutral French oak barrels for 10 months of aging.  Because of the stellar vineyard sites and ripe fruit, the 2013 Noiro is a balanced, food-friendly wine that seriously over-delivers in price to value. 

                                                     

• A robust and varietally-correct Merlot

• This wine seriously over-delivers, with mouth-coating fruit and spicy oak flavors

• Derek Rohlffs’ enjoyed making this alter-ego wine, a distinct departure from his Pinot Noir work

The 2012 vintage combines the most notable traits of our Formidable Merlot: it is rich and lush and also very fresh and firm in structure. This intense and complex wine is not for the faint-hearted.

The color is an intense crimson with a tinge of purple, with dark berry fruit and savory mocha oak spice notes. The palate offers a burst of fruit up front and very rich mouthfeel, with black fruit and chocolate flavors carried on thick and dense tannins. The finish is lengthy, with lively and vibrant acidity that provides a note of intense freshness to balance the lush fruit flavors.

Formidable Merlot is influenced by the vineyard’s positioning on the lower slopes of a Napa hillside, on the benchlands. Soils include silty loam and volcanic soils, with excellent drainage, forcing the merlot vines to reach deep for their water and nutrients. These soils result in smaller berries with thicker skins, ultimately delivering more concentrated flavors. Vinification and aging: French oak aged lots, with a high percentage - around 50% - new oak and gentle cellar treatment, including gravity movement.

                                                     

Funkytown Red Wine is made from a mix of uncommon and underappreciated red grape varietals. This unique blend includes Barbera, Petite Sirah, and Carignane.

The 2012 growing season allowed for the development of balanced fruit. Most of the fruit for this wine is sourced from North Coast vineyards, especially Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. In addition, we include a small amount of Barbera fruit from a vineyard in the Sierra Foothills, which imparts an earthy, rustic edge to the ripe fruit flavors in this wine.

Hand-harvested fruit was fermented in small lots and pressed into French and Hungarian oak barrels to build complexity. Most of the fermentations were spontaneous and followed a 5 to 7 day cold soak. After sixteen months of aging, the wine was blended and then bottled three months later.

This medium-bodied, balanced wine compliments pizza and pasta dishes, BBQ, meat dishes, and Italian food.

When we hooked some cool cats up with our first batch of Funkytown, they shouted "Far Out!" and booked it to the corner store to get their hands on some more. Funkytown is not just a place. Funkytown is not just a wine.  Funkytown is a cosmic state of mind. Can you dig it? Get your groove on with some Funkytown, boogie the night away, and we'll catch you on the flip-side!