Birichino Little Big Block Vineyard Old Vines Carignane 2022

Birichino Little Big Block Vineyard Old Vines Carignane

Tasting Note

The 2022 Carignane Little Big Block Vineyard Old Vines leads with a nose of crushed cranberry, asphalt and dried spices. The palate balances velvety richness with spry succulence, concluding with a fine, powdery pleasantly drying finish. As with much of the Birichino range, this can be had for a song and overdelivers to an impressive degree. 

Producer

About the name- Birichino- biri-kino. Like locksmiths in the  United States that add additional AAAs onto their names to be the first listed in the telephone directory, and drawing on deep reserves of innate marketing genius, we went in search of something unpronounceable to English speakers, yet also difficult to remember that began with A or B. Alluce was an early favorite, seeming to evoke lightness and air in English, but in fact translating as big toe. Seeking something with that playfulness, though about some things we profess to be deadly serious, and inspired by the surprising, slighty racy character of our first wine, the Malvasia Bianca  that leads one on to thinking sweet, and delivers something else entirely, we hit on Birichino, meaning naughty in Italian. And who doesn't consider themselves just a little bit naughty, after all?

We are very fortunate to be able to pursue what we know and love: to make distinctive wine from carefully tended vineyards dating back to the 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as a few from the Late Disco era. We are also deeply grateful for the experiences we've had working with talented Old and New World winemakers over the past couple decades in California with Randall Grahm, and with so many other talented winemakers and mentors in Europe, such as Andre Ostertag in Alsace and a host of  small producers from Madiran to the Minervois to Puglia to Piemonte and beyond (Maharashtra.)  

Vineyard

The Little Big Block Vineyard was planted in these deep, pure sand soils on a slope at the edge of the San Joaquin River in Contra Costa County, back in 1895 by Portuguese and Italian immigrants. As was typical of the era, they planted a variety of red grapes (“mixed blacks”) including Mourvèdre, Carignane, Zinfandel, and even Alicanté Bouschet. They are an anachronism also for the fact that they are bush vines; impossible to farm or harvest by newfangled modern mechanical means , and demand extra attention and skill in every aspect of the growing season.  In the face of encroaching housing developments on every side, we hope our work with these old vines creates enough interest and value for the current generation of growers to keep on keeping on for the next generation.

Birichino Little Big Block Vineyard Old Vines Carignane - Hay Wines