Folk Machine Wine, Charbono 2021, Suisun Valley, Solano County, North Coast, CA

This rare California heritage grape from Hobo Wine’s Folk Machine presents a dark and aromatic wine with berry, mineral, and floral notes while leaving you with a light and balanced palate.

COUNTRY: USA

STATE: California

APPELLATION (AVA): Suisun Valley

REGION: North Coast

SUBREGION: Solano County

VINTAGE: 2021

GRAPES: 100% Charbono (also known as Bonarda and Douce Noir) 

PRACTICE: Organic

VINIFICATION: Native fermentation with 20% whole clusters. Aged in all older barrels for 10 months.

STYLE: Still

COLOR: Deep mulberry

BODY: Medium bodied

TASTE: Dry

TANNINS: Moderate

PRIMARY AROMAS: Bright red berry, sweet violet, crushed stone, summer raspberry

FLAVOR: Light, juicy berries, balanced acidity

FORMAT: 750 ml

ALCOHOL: 12.8%

SERVICE AND SUGGESTION: Pair this wine with umami-packed dishes such as cured meat, rich sausage, carbonara, soft & mild cheese, mole sauce, morcilla, or your favorite burger.

ABOUT THE PRODUCER: Hobo Wines

“We believe in unforced winemaking. It is our goal to intervene as little as possible, but we understand that winemaking by definition is an intervention on something that doesn’t occur in nature. We believe in letting the vintage and the vineyards guide the process, dictate what is and what is not necessary. We believe in traditional winemaking as a goal, but modern technology within ethical limits as a resource. We want our wines to be balanced, to have a sense of place and time, to tell a story, share a history, and above all else, be delicious.

All of our wines are un-inoculated (fermented without adding commercial yeast) except the Banyan Gewürz.. Malolactic fermentations are also spontaneous. We avoid all commercial additives. We primarily use older oak barrels. Only low doses of sulfur are added to the wines and generally as close to bottling as possible to keep the wines alive in the cellar.

Our philosophy is to pay attention to each wine and its individual potential. Each wine is respected, considered, and thought about. Any action on the wine needs to be justified. When in doubt, let the wine be.”(hobowines.com)

ABOUT THE VINEYARD: 

“Around the Spring of 2013, I got in touch with Brian Babcock in Suisun Valley. He had a small two-acre block of Charbono that was just a few years old after being grafted. I don’t think even he is sure why he chose Charbono, but we are grateful that he did. Turns out to be a great fit for the region. It is slow ripening even with the warm weather and holds acid.” (hobowines.com)