Carpenter, Not-a-Brut
TASTING NOTES: “The inky purple color is the first indicator that a big, bold wine awaits. On the nose one detects blackberry pie, currant, cracked peppercorns, espresso and dark chocolate with hints of violet and lavender. Tannins are fleshy and grippy in the mouth. Lingering acidity on the finish balances out the tannins, resulting in a fine expression of Petite Sirah.” (AbV 14.5%)
VARIETALS: 100% Petite Sirah.
BARRELS: 17 months in French oak.
PAIRS WITH: N/A
THAT REMINDS ME OF: Carpenter Brut, because of Carpenter Hill Vineyard.
Actually did one called “Carpenter Gruet” back in 2019, but didn’t say much about them then. Consisting of a single French man named Franck Hueso, Carpenter Brut derives its name from a combination of John Carpenter and Charpentier Brut Champagne. As you might guess from the John Carpenter part, Carpenter Brut draws a decent amount of inspiration from 80’s and 90’s action and horror movies and their soundtracks.
Carpenter Brut fits roughly in the “darksynth” movement of music, a sub-genre of the larger “synthwave” phenomenon. Synthwave is a form of electronic music influenced heavily by 1980’s new wave and the decade’s synthesizer-laden film (and game) soundtracks, revisited with modern production while retaining 80’s aesthetics.
Although his last full-length was in 2022, the third and final entry to his Leather trilogy should be out sometime in the near future. Fingers crossed, at least.
