Birichino 2021 Old Vines Napa Valley Semillon

The 2020 was good, the 2021 is simply better! The nose shows a floral lift with almonds, stone fruits, and a bit of minerality. The palate is just shy of moderate in weight with a textured roundness, almond skin, lemon, apricot, and a light hit of beeswax. Delicious stuff here. D&M Tasting Notes

Alex Krause and John Locke founded Birichino in Santa Cruz in 2008. Drawing on a combined four decades making wine in California, France, Italy, and beyond, they are focused on attaining the perfect balance of perfume, poise, and puckishness. Sourcing from a number of carefully farmed, family-owned, own-rooted 19th and early 20th century vineyards (and a few from the late disco era) planted by and large in more moderate, marine-influenced climates, their preoccupation is to safeguard the quality and vibrance of their raw materials. Their preference is for minimal intervention, most often favoring native fermentations, employing stainless or neutral barrels, minimal racking and fining, and avoiding filtration altogether when possible. But most critically, their aim is to make delicious wines that give pleasure, revitalize, and revive. Winery Notes