2021 Alicante Bouschet

Alicante Bouschet is a very unique grape in that its flesh is also red, an extremely rare trait in wine grapes. Other red grapes like Syrah or Cab have red skins but their flesh is white. In addition, Alicante’s skin is very thick and it is very resistant to rot. These features made this grape ideal for the growers of this old vineyard during Prohibition when they would sell grapes via train shipments to the east coast to home winemakers from the old country. Many immigrants from wine-loving countries would buy fresh grapes from off-the-box cars and make wine in their bathtubs in their apartments.

Our Alicante Bouschet is from a vineyard planted before Prohibition and has always been farmed organically and without irrigation by the Galleano family. The wine is saturated and stainy with deep color, but it is fresh and energetic in flavor.