31 Jul Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Idlewild Wines 2021 Brachetto, Fox Hill Vineyard, Mendocino

The very first wine that captured my attention was Brachetto d’Acqui. A slightly sweet, slightly effervescent wine from Piemonte, Italy, it stole my heart. So, when Sam Bilbro, owner and winemaker of Idlewild Wines in Sonoma, told me he had planted Brachetto in Mendocino, I was so excited. And finally, the wine is available. While the Idlewild Wines 2021 Brachetto, Fox Hill Vineyard, Mendocino is a still, dry wine, it has the most beautiful aromatics and is textured. It is easy to say that the Idlewild Wines 2021 Brachetto, Fox Hill Vineyard, Mendocino is the Please The Palate wine of the week.

About

Sam Bilbro had a dream to produce varieties that originated in Italy’s Piedmont in the hills of Northern California. His focus at Idlewild Wines is to produce single variety Piedmontese varieties that respect tradition and are made with minimal intervention. He works with three vineyards, Lost Hills in Yorkville Highlands and Las Cimas in Russian River Valley, both of which he farms, and Fox Hill Vineyard in Central Mendocino.

Fox Hill Vineyard is located southeast of Ukiah on Mendocino’s Talmage Bench. It was originally owned and planted by Lowell Stone who bucked the norm and followed his passion by planting lesser-known varieties, specifically Italian ones. In his last years, Lowell asked Sam to add more variety to the vineyard, so he grafted a handful of lesser-known Piedmontese varieties, including Arneis, Cortese, Grignolino, Freisa, Erbaluce, Favorita, Nascetta, Timorasso, Pelaverga, Ruché and Brachetto!  I love the Idlewild Grignolino and the Arneis. I still need to try the Freisa, Erbaluce, Timorasso, Cortese, and Favorita. And I cannot wait until the Ruché and Pelaverga are available. But right now I am so excited to have the Brachetto!

Tasting Notes

To make the Brachetto, the grapes were lightly foot tread for seven days and underwent native fermentation. The grapes were pressed and the wine was aged in neutral 500L puncheon for 5 months on the lees. Brachetto is an aromatic variety. The wine has an incredible potpourri nose filled with fresh flowers, raspberry, wild strawberry, and hibiscus tea, as well as herbal notes. The color of the wine is light and transparent. But on the palate, the wine is textured with soft tannins. It is fresh and elegant and an enjoyable wine.

Food Pairing

Despite the transparent color, this wine has texture and can handle food. I took the wine to dinner with me and enjoyed the wine with burrata with prosciutto and chili oil, as well as with mushroom sliders and Korean BBQ short ribs.

Where To Purchase

Only 80 cases were made of the Idlewild Wines 2021 Brachetto, Fox Hill Vineyard, Mendocino which retails for $42. The wine is available directly from Idlewild Wines.

Meet The Winemaker

Get to know Sam Bilbro in 30 questions on the Wine Soundtrack USA podcast.