30 Oct Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Dichotomy 2022 Nebbiolo, Yakima Valley

Dichotomy is from the Greek word “dichotomia”, which means “dividing in two.” So, to be dichotomous is to have more than one side. And, winemakers Rosie Signer and Jarren Jenner believe that there is more than one side to every story, just as there is more than one way to pick a grape and more than one place to pick a grape. In fact, they pick grapes from both Yakima Valley and Australia to make wine. This week, I opened one of their wines from Yakima Valley. It was the Dichotomy 2022 Nebbiolo, Yakima Valley and it is the Please The Palate wine of the week.

About Dichotomy Wines

Dichotomy Wines is a partnership between winemakers Rosie Signer and Jarred Jenner. Born in Washington State, Rosie worked in Italy, Washington State, and Oregon before heading to work harvest in 2010 in South Australia. She fell in love with the McLaren Vale region and stayed. It was in McLaren Vale that Rosie met Jarred, a native of the Barossa Valley in South Australia. Like Rosie, Jarred had worked as a traveling winemaker in California, Oregon, Canada and Austria before settling in McLaren Vale.

After living in Australia and starting a family, they purchased a property in the Yakima Valley, sight unseen, in 2022. The property was everything they could dream of as it had 10 acres planted to 9 varieties (planted in the 1980s and 1990s), winemaking equipment, and two houses. They moved back to the United States and made their first vintage of Yakima Wines in 2022. In addition, they source fruit from vineyards they have worked with for a long time in Australia, bringing some of their favorite Australian wines back to the U.S.  With Dichotomy Wines, they showcase how soils, location, and harvesting different varieties from different places can have a Dichotomy.

Tasting Notes

The Nebbiolo is grown on their estate vineyard. The grapes are open-top fermented for 14 days and then aged for 14 months in neutral oak barriques. The wine is a light ruby color with a beautiful aromatic nose with notes of cherries, pomegranate, dried herbs, violets, and licorice. The wine is medium-bodied and structured but also fresh with a juicy finish. There is a lovely mid-palate texture but the wine is not weighty. This is a truly enjoyable Nebbiolo to drink.

Food Pairing

Not only enjoyable to drink, the Dichotomy 2022 Nebbiolo was also a great wine to pair with dinner. My entire family enjoyed this wine with grilled chicken, roasted potatoes, asparagus, and salad. The wine had the structure to pair with the food and the lightness so not to overwhelm any bites. I would also enjoy this wine with beef tartare, cheese ravioli, or a charcuterie plate.

Where To Purchase

The Dichotomy Vineyards 2022 Yakima Valley Estate Nebbiolo retails for only $32 and can be purchased directly from Dichotomy’s website.