2018 Brutocao Quadriga Red Wine, Hopland Ranches, Mendocino
91 points ~ Wine Enthusiast
Tasting Notes
With aromas of lavender and plums, our unique combination opens with red delicious apple, followed with blueberries and floral notes.
Quadriga, a “chariot carried by four horses”, is an ancient Italian symbol of triumph. Celebrating our Italian heritage, we created a proprietary blend of Sangiovese, Primitivo, Barbera, and Dolcetto. Reminiscent of traditional Italian field blends, but with richer, brighter, and more fruit-forward flavors, the velvety smooth texture of delicious wine pairs well with everything from casual dining to your fanciest meals.
Aging: 18 months in 90% French oak, 10% American oak, 25% new oak
Brutocao Family Vineyards is a tale of two families who combined their passion and expertise to establish one of Mendocino County’s most notable wineries. In 1910, the Brutocao family brought with them a love for wine when they emigrated from Treviso, Italy (a small town near Venice). Len Brutocao met Martha Bliss while attending the University of California, Berkeley. Martha’s father, Irv, had been farming in Mendocino since 1943. After Len and Martha married, the families joined forces and continued to sell their grapes to well-known Sonoma and Napa wineries for many years before starting to make their own wine in 1980. They selected the Lion of St. Mark as their symbol of family tradition and quality. The heart of that quality is in their land: over 400 acres of vineyards in Hopland and 12.5 acres of Pinot Noir in Anderson Valley.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WI, WY
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2018 Brutocao Quadriga Italian Red Blend - $60 = 27.26%
Whether or not Punxutawney Phil sees his shadow today we have an intriguing new offering from our friends at Casemates. After the gold rush, Italian immigrants settled in Northern California and established vineyards. After prohibition, 14 wineries remained in Mendocino county, all owned by Italian families. The presence of Italian varietals in Mendocino should come as no surprise. The Brutocao family have maintained vineyards in Mendocino for 4 generations, but did not begin producing their own wine until the 1980s. Most MBA students have analyzed a prepared case study where a winemaker had the opportunity to either purchase additional vineyards or open a tasting room and market the wine under his own label. The winemaker chose the tasting room because the return on investment for production and direct sales was greater for producing and selling wine than growing grapes. That return is even better when the winemaker has the ability to market directly to the public, hence comes today’s opportunity.
Today’s offering has been reviewed by industry professionals and I am sure the relevant review links and ratings will be posted but I will share my amateur rattage to supplement what other commentary you will have easy access to. On opening and pouring we have a translucent garnet hue. Evidently Sangiovese does not have the deep dark color of Cabernet. There is cherry, berry, and plum on the nose. The first taste has notes of blackberry and plum and gives way to a pucker and tang on a moderate to long finish. Brutocao posted the pH and total acidity for this wine and it is in the higher range of acidity for a red wine. The high acidity is desirable for Italian varietals because California growers are apparently challenged to meet the acidity level for the same varietals produced in Italy.
This is a medium bodied high acidic wine which meets the expected characteristics of Sangiovese and Barbera so the wine maker hit the target spot on. We brought the bottle to a local trattoria to attempt multiple pairings. This wine is meant to be paired with typical Italian fare and does so accordingly. We started with mussels in marinara and the wine paired well with the seafood. Our pasta course was gnocchi in pistachio cream sauce and the wine stood up to the creaminess. Our final course was veal marsala and the wine complimented this pairing as well. We did not pair with dessert since the bottle was empty! Although acidic the wine is very food friendly, smooth, and easy drinking especially when paired with pizza and pasta. It is appropriate for both casual and fine dining and is ready to drink now. It also highlights a region and history that tends to get overlooked so this is an opportunity to experience a bit of California’s past and present. Cheers and cin-cin!
91 Points. This fragrant and elegant blend made from Italian varieties is complex and interesting. It offers plums and cherries, with a touch of meatiness and savory bay leaf note. The medium-bodied palate is braced with good acidity and light tannins. JG 11/1/21
A few words from Reverse Wine Snob who offered this in December…note the mention of a dollop of Syrah. Also the label says 500 cases produced but 900 seems to be the consensus and who really cares?
The 2018 Brutocao Quadriga is a blend of 29% Sangiovese, 36% Primitivo, 18% Dolcetto, 14% Barbera and 3% Syrah. The wine spends 18 months in 90% French and 10% American oak, 25% of which was new. Only 900 cases were produced and the wine received 91 points from Wine Enthusiast magazine (a number we think is rather low).
The wine opens with a very nice, enticing aroma featuring an assortment of red and dark berries, loads of varied baking spice notes, licorice and lots of other touches to discover as you sniff and swirl it.
It gets even better when tasting this really delightful blend of Italian varietals. With wonderful juicy fruit, lovely and well-integrated oaky spice notes and a smooth mouthfeel, this is a delicious, full-bodied and slightly tannic beauty. I love that this can be found in Mendocino!
It ends with a dry, very long, very savory, lovely finish. It’s wonderful and the whole thing gets even better the more time it has to breathe, and especially on day 2.
A few production notes dug up from another random source:
Morning loads only, de-stemmed with 50% whole berries remaining. Cold soaked all lots for 48 hours prior to fermentation. In temperature controlled tanks, pumped over from 4 times to 2 times a day. Individual lots remained on the skins for average of 18 days. 18 months in 90% French oak, 10% American, 25% new oak. Bottling date:June 2017 Alcohol: 13.5% TA: .0.60 pH:3.64 37% Sangiovese, 17% Primitivo, 18% Barbera, 16% Dolcetto, 9% Merlot and 3% Syrah. Sweetness: 0
@rjquillin Ha…didn’t catch that…might explain the difference in ABV, that I did notice.
That last note is apparently from the 2015 vintage although it was attributed to the 2018 and I was still warming up the espresso machine…apologies!
@rjquillin Well the ABV difference is from the label which states 14.5, listing here on CM says 13.5 which agrees with my misinformation…who’s on first??
i had other wines while listening to today’s tangentially music and it just ended up all over the floor, walls, and ceiling. 1/5 - would not recommend headbanging while wining.
2018 Brutocao Quadriga Red Wine, Hopland Ranches, Mendocino
91 points ~ Wine Enthusiast
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
3-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$360.00/Case for 12x 2018 Brutocao Quadriga Red Wine, Hopland Ranches, Mendocino
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Feb 21 - Friday, Feb 25
2018 Brutocao Quadriga Italian Red Blend
3 bottles for $54.99 $18.33/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $159.99 $13.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2018 Brutocao Quadriga Italian Red Blend - $60 = 27.26%
Whether or not Punxutawney Phil sees his shadow today we have an intriguing new offering from our friends at Casemates. After the gold rush, Italian immigrants settled in Northern California and established vineyards. After prohibition, 14 wineries remained in Mendocino county, all owned by Italian families. The presence of Italian varietals in Mendocino should come as no surprise. The Brutocao family have maintained vineyards in Mendocino for 4 generations, but did not begin producing their own wine until the 1980s. Most MBA students have analyzed a prepared case study where a winemaker had the opportunity to either purchase additional vineyards or open a tasting room and market the wine under his own label. The winemaker chose the tasting room because the return on investment for production and direct sales was greater for producing and selling wine than growing grapes. That return is even better when the winemaker has the ability to market directly to the public, hence comes today’s opportunity.
Today’s offering has been reviewed by industry professionals and I am sure the relevant review links and ratings will be posted but I will share my amateur rattage to supplement what other commentary you will have easy access to. On opening and pouring we have a translucent garnet hue. Evidently Sangiovese does not have the deep dark color of Cabernet. There is cherry, berry, and plum on the nose. The first taste has notes of blackberry and plum and gives way to a pucker and tang on a moderate to long finish. Brutocao posted the pH and total acidity for this wine and it is in the higher range of acidity for a red wine. The high acidity is desirable for Italian varietals because California growers are apparently challenged to meet the acidity level for the same varietals produced in Italy.
This is a medium bodied high acidic wine which meets the expected characteristics of Sangiovese and Barbera so the wine maker hit the target spot on. We brought the bottle to a local trattoria to attempt multiple pairings. This wine is meant to be paired with typical Italian fare and does so accordingly. We started with mussels in marinara and the wine paired well with the seafood. Our pasta course was gnocchi in pistachio cream sauce and the wine stood up to the creaminess. Our final course was veal marsala and the wine complimented this pairing as well. We did not pair with dessert since the bottle was empty! Although acidic the wine is very food friendly, smooth, and easy drinking especially when paired with pizza and pasta. It is appropriate for both casual and fine dining and is ready to drink now. It also highlights a region and history that tends to get overlooked so this is an opportunity to experience a bit of California’s past and present. Cheers and cin-cin!
Did you like the wine or not?
@dianefreda lmao
Wine Enthusiast you say?
91 Points. This fragrant and elegant blend made from Italian varieties is complex and interesting. It offers plums and cherries, with a touch of meatiness and savory bay leaf note. The medium-bodied palate is braced with good acidity and light tannins. JG 11/1/21
A few words from Reverse Wine Snob who offered this in December…note the mention of a dollop of Syrah. Also the label says 500 cases produced but 900 seems to be the consensus and who really cares?
The 2018 Brutocao Quadriga is a blend of 29% Sangiovese, 36% Primitivo, 18% Dolcetto, 14% Barbera and 3% Syrah. The wine spends 18 months in 90% French and 10% American oak, 25% of which was new. Only 900 cases were produced and the wine received 91 points from Wine Enthusiast magazine (a number we think is rather low).
The wine opens with a very nice, enticing aroma featuring an assortment of red and dark berries, loads of varied baking spice notes, licorice and lots of other touches to discover as you sniff and swirl it.
It gets even better when tasting this really delightful blend of Italian varietals. With wonderful juicy fruit, lovely and well-integrated oaky spice notes and a smooth mouthfeel, this is a delicious, full-bodied and slightly tannic beauty. I love that this can be found in Mendocino!
It ends with a dry, very long, very savory, lovely finish. It’s wonderful and the whole thing gets even better the more time it has to breathe, and especially on day 2.
A few production notes dug up from another random source:
Morning loads only, de-stemmed with 50% whole berries remaining. Cold soaked all lots for 48 hours prior to fermentation. In temperature controlled tanks, pumped over from 4 times to 2 times a day. Individual lots remained on the skins for average of 18 days. 18 months in 90% French oak, 10% American, 25% new oak. Bottling date:June 2017 Alcohol: 13.5% TA: .0.60 pH:3.64 37% Sangiovese, 17% Primitivo, 18% Barbera, 16% Dolcetto, 9% Merlot and 3% Syrah. Sweetness: 0
fwiw
@kaolis Those additional notes appear to be from either a time traveler or different vintage, fwiw.
@rjquillin Ha…didn’t catch that…might explain the difference in ABV, that I did notice.
That last note is apparently from the 2015 vintage although it was attributed to the 2018 and I was still warming up the espresso machine…apologies!
@rjquillin Well the ABV difference is from the label which states 14.5, listing here on CM says 13.5 which agrees with my misinformation…who’s on first??
This sounds like it’s right in my wheelhouse… in for a case.
/giphy uninviting-waxy-rain
Passed this up the last few times…but the interweb seems to have only good things to say from vintage to vintage. Intrigued…in for a case…
obligated-omnipotent-fight
Looks like something I would like!
flustered-motley-gorilla
So tempted. I loved their Sangiovese from a couple of years ago(?). However, my SIWBM is in effect until the 9th of February. SMH
/giphy overjoyed-faulty-bedbug
just a public service announcement:
i had other wines while listening to today’s tangentially music and it just ended up all over the floor, walls, and ceiling. 1/5 - would not recommend headbanging while wining.
Wow, cases already gone!
Sure you can’t find just a few more?
Dammit. I’m too slow. Cases are sold out. I guess my wallet is still safe.
In for 3, since that’s all I can get.
/giphy gourmet-unreal-pump
Damit, got tied up at the office and went back to finish my order for 3, and SOLD OUT!
I know-this is what I get for waiting around-really wanted some of this.