We were very surprised when we saw what we were being a Lab Rat for this time around. The first thing we noticed when opening the bottle was a big strong pop! as the cork came out. On first taste, it was a very pronounced sparkling wine, followed by a pear flavor with hints of apple. This was more on the sweeter side of brut, but not too sweet. It paired well with salty and sweet flavors. We tried nuts, different types of chocolates, sourdough, and various cheeses. It seemed to go well with all of them.
Where this bottle really stood out was when we went to make mimosas with it. This sparkling has is easily one of the best mimosa bottles weâve ever experienced. Great with pulpy orange, pineapple-mango and I bet would be outstanding with a straight pineapple or cranberry mix.
Thank you for the Do Epic Sh*t Browne Family Vineyards.
Very excited to be a lab rat! I enjoy sparkling wine so was excited to try this one.
In the glass, the wine had a light peach coloring. While drinking, I noticed a variety of fruit flavors. We had a few glasses while enjoying a movie and this was great with popcorn. I imagine it would do well with other salty items.
I didnât realize this was a brut at first. I noticed the sweetness and then went back to check the label.
Iâm not sure if I would pair this with a full meal but I could see this going well with a nice charcuterie spread.
Disclaimer: I swear like a sailor, and 4-letter words are my friends.
I never buy a bottle of wine because of the label, but sometimes I will not buy a bottle because of the label. This is one of those times, Ohio sales prohibited aside.
I am curious who does âepic shitâ and decides to crack open a bottle of this bubbly? That is something more special. My two cents.
@KNmeh7 Yeah Iâm not opposed to swearing in almost all cases, and yet in a product like this it does make me question the âmarketingâ strategy. Especially since it couldnât probably be listed on many e-commerce sites (except this one) and certainly never appear on store shelves. Iâm assuming it was an inside joke at some point.
I wouldnât resist buying it because of the name, but it doesnât make me want to buy it either. Most of all it is the âkind-of sweet for a Brutâ reviews that make me pass on this.
@KNmeh7@pmarin I dunnoâŠI could see companies largely staffed by millenials enjoying popping this open to welcome a new employee. Or to mark the completion of a product launch or something.
@jml326 Yup, no doubt a sparkly like these should store fine. Iâve had no issues with Gruet, Mumm Napa, or others over several years. Assuming you were serious about the case of 12 grad students.
Reminded me of when in undergrad college, Iâd heard that you should be in the same mental state when you study as when you take the test. So the theoretical question is would you offer the bottle of Epic Sh&t to each student before their thesis defense, or after? It might actually help if offered before â though probably not the whole bottle.
@pmarin the PhD candidates work hard for 4 to 7 years. At my university the thesis defense is merely a last presentation of the soon to be published works. So this would be given as a congratulations for finishing and good luck moving on. Coming from me it would be quite humorous to those who received it.
@klezman@rjquillin Hmm⊠wondering about this too. Of course it couldnât be on those sites; would be blocked by some search engines and certainly not generally supporting of a âmainstream company image.â So there is certainly a question of who made this and why â and itâs very likely tied to the entities mentioned.
Honestly the perceived âsweetnessâ (for a Brut) is what put me off of this more than the name. Which made me wish for more Sauvage (if indeed that is from a related producer).
Or maybe thereâs a group of winemakers about to split from Evil Overlord Precept, and their final bottling before leaving will be âF this Sh*t.â
Made only for our Seattle, Tacoma and Walla Walla tasting rooms, these Browne Family Vineyard exclusives are beloved small lot wines. Limited production and additional time in barrel make these varietals favorites of our wine club members in their shipments. They can also be purchased at our tasting room and online.
So it seems this was likely to be destined for that same special designation. Which makes sense since I canât imagine seeing it on the shelf at Target or a grocery store.
The bigger question is what combination of NM and WA led to this â how closely related to Gruet. Iâve enjoyed all of the Gruets though I tend to the Sauvage as my favorite. I do notice that the pricing of this (at retail) is significantly higher than Gruet, and perhaps this is part of bringing it in under the Browne label, and so I assume itâs intended to be a more premium product.
I wonder if the perceived âsweetnessâ of this is from the 75% Chardonnay / 25% PN Blend according to the specs. Though it didnât state RS.
@kaolis@klezman@pmarin@rjquillin
The specs show that the grapes are from NM. IMHO, it is Gruet juice with a hipster label designed to sell at a higher price point.
@chipgreen@klezman@pmarin@rjquillin Except there is very very little Gruet wine made with grapes from New Mexico. Browne said that Gruet made it with CA and WA grapes
A friend lives within stumbling distance to the tasting room in Walla Walla. Everything I have had from Browne has been quality, but I havenât had this bottle.
Browne has done other wine under the same label, but from Washington, it is a Washington winery after all. This being from New Mexico, but labeled or at least declared here as âAmerican Vineyards in New Mexicoâ just sounds odd. Wouldnât it be a New Mexico wine? Sounds like some odd Precept marketing cr*p to meâŠha! Wonder what the back label looks like. Or maybe itâs just a reference to AVA and Iâm out of line⊠??
@kaolis I wondered this also. I figured maybe they named something âAmerican Vineyardsâ, which seems like it shouldnât be allowed, but there ya go.
@kaolis
When Precept bought Gruet they did not have enough vineyards to support the amount of cases they wanted to make under the Gruet label so they started to use Washington grapes, thatâs when Gruet started using American on their label. So pretty sure they are Washington grapes.
@ScottW58 Well I asked Browne Family Vineyards where this specific wine was sourced and they said:
âThank you for reaching out with your question regarding our sparkling wines made by our sister winery, Gruet, in New Mexico. They source their grapes from Washington and California. You can reach out directly to Gruet to order their beautiful wines at: info@gruetwinery.com.â
@ScottW58 Well, that is a very good Marketing answer/non-answer. Itâs an art and Iâm sure Precept has people there trained in doing just that. Still, itâs better than a drivel answer (âwe strive to provide the most bestest product so all our customers live happily ever afterâŠâ). But it is kind-of funny.
EDIT but yeah, @kitkat34, it does seem to be Gruet at $3/bottle more.
Medium lemon in color, this sparkling presents aromas of brioche and green apples that follow through on the palate. Flavors of green apple, citrus, and minerality lead to a long, well-rounded finish. A classic house style!
Specs
Blend: 75% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Noir
Non-Vintage, from the American Vineyards in New Mexico
Browne Family Vineyards is a family-owned winery committed to world-class wine production in the heart of Walla Walla, Washington. Inspired by the greatness of one man, William Bitner Browne, late grandfather of proprietor Andrew Browne, the winery is a dream that has been many years in the making. Every decision made â from the vineyard to the bottle â reflects a commitment to premium Washington State wine of exceptional quality and assures cellar-worthy vintages that stand the test of time. In the past decade Browne has grown to be a favorite of Washington wine lovers, ranking over 100 critical scores of 90+ points.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, ND, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations).
NV âDo Epic Shitâ Brut Sparkling from Browne Family Vineyards - $40 = 18.18%
The insert stated sparkling brut but also speaks on blanc de blancs processes? is it just that this âDo Epic Shitâ
is an unsweet made from whites? The 25% Pinot Noir blend is confusing but maybe I just do not understand. Happy Fathers Day and Happy JuneTeenth! Drinking mimosas
@LincolnMics Yeah, 25% Pinot Noir makes this not a blanc de blancs. Probably just a mistake in what insert they included?
And yes, brut in sparkling wine parlance means the sweetness is up to 12 g/l. Up to 6 g/l is extra brut and brut nature/brut zero is up to 3 g/l RS. In almost all cases (for traditional method/methode Champenoise) the sugar is added when the secondary fermentation lees/yeast is removed from the bottle at final corking.
We were very surprised when we saw what we were being a Lab Rat for this time around. The first thing we noticed when opening the bottle was a big strong pop! as the cork came out. On first taste, it was a very pronounced sparkling wine, followed by a pear flavor with hints of apple. This was more on the sweeter side of brut, but not too sweet. It paired well with salty and sweet flavors. We tried nuts, different types of chocolates, sourdough, and various cheeses. It seemed to go well with all of them.
Where this bottle really stood out was when we went to make mimosas with it. This sparkling has is easily one of the best mimosa bottles weâve ever experienced. Great with pulpy orange, pineapple-mango and I bet would be outstanding with a straight pineapple or cranberry mix.
Thank you for the Do Epic Sh*t Browne Family Vineyards.
@imshadow22 @reesai Is there an ABV listed on the bottle? Donât see it anywhere hereâŠ?
@CObrent @imshadow22 The bottles shows 12.5% alcohol by volume
Very excited to be a lab rat! I enjoy sparkling wine so was excited to try this one.
In the glass, the wine had a light peach coloring. While drinking, I noticed a variety of fruit flavors. We had a few glasses while enjoying a movie and this was great with popcorn. I imagine it would do well with other salty items.
I didnât realize this was a brut at first. I noticed the sweetness and then went back to check the label.
Iâm not sure if I would pair this with a full meal but I could see this going well with a nice charcuterie spread.
Thanks for the opportunity to be a rat!
Disclaimer: I swear like a sailor, and 4-letter words are my friends.
I never buy a bottle of wine because of the label, but sometimes I will not buy a bottle because of the label. This is one of those times, Ohio sales prohibited aside.
I am curious who does âepic shitâ and decides to crack open a bottle of this bubbly? That is something more special. My two cents.
@KNmeh7 Yeah Iâm not opposed to swearing in almost all cases, and yet in a product like this it does make me question the âmarketingâ strategy. Especially since it couldnât probably be listed on many e-commerce sites (except this one) and certainly never appear on store shelves. Iâm assuming it was an inside joke at some point.
I wouldnât resist buying it because of the name, but it doesnât make me want to buy it either. Most of all it is the âkind-of sweet for a Brutâ reviews that make me pass on this.
More Sauvage, please!
@KNmeh7 @pmarin I dunnoâŠI could see companies largely staffed by millenials enjoying popping this open to welcome a new employee. Or to mark the completion of a product launch or something.
@klezman @KNmeh7 @pmarin
Too bad this is just a few weeks too late for purchasr in advance of graduation celebrations.
Iâm sure these will find their way into some influencerâs schtick, too.
Twisted Oak had some similarly themed wine names in the ânaughtiesâ.
I hope these last stored properly. I see the next 12 grad students from my lab getting these at their thesis defense.
@jml326 Yup, no doubt a sparkly like these should store fine. Iâve had no issues with Gruet, Mumm Napa, or others over several years. Assuming you were serious about the case of 12 grad students.
Reminded me of when in undergrad college, Iâd heard that you should be in the same mental state when you study as when you take the test. So the theoretical question is would you offer the bottle of Epic Sh&t to each student before their thesis defense, or after? It might actually help if offered before â though probably not the whole bottle.
@pmarin the PhD candidates work hard for 4 to 7 years. At my university the thesis defense is merely a last presentation of the soon to be published works. So this would be given as a congratulations for finishing and good luck moving on. Coming from me it would be quite humorous to those who received it.
@jml326 @pmarin DO IT!
That would have been a lot more fun than the random stuff associated with my dissertation defense.
Any association with/to Gruet?
@rjquillin sold by precept wines?
@klezman checking further, yes, both owned by Precept, but no mention of this I can casually find on either the Brown or Precept sites.
@klezman @rjquillin Hmm⊠wondering about this too. Of course it couldnât be on those sites; would be blocked by some search engines and certainly not generally supporting of a âmainstream company image.â So there is certainly a question of who made this and why â and itâs very likely tied to the entities mentioned.
Honestly the perceived âsweetnessâ (for a Brut) is what put me off of this more than the name. Which made me wish for more Sauvage (if indeed that is from a related producer).
Or maybe thereâs a group of winemakers about to split from Evil Overlord Precept, and their final bottling before leaving will be âF this Sh*t.â
@klezman @pmarin @rjquillin The âDo Epic Shitâ red blend is on the Browne websiteâŠ
https://brownefamilyvineyards.com/wine/do-epic-shit-red-blend/
@kaolis @klezman @rjquillin Interesting. Yes, I see the Red Blend on the website. I see it says this:
So it seems this was likely to be destined for that same special designation. Which makes sense since I canât imagine seeing it on the shelf at Target or a grocery store.
The bigger question is what combination of NM and WA led to this â how closely related to Gruet. Iâve enjoyed all of the Gruets though I tend to the Sauvage as my favorite. I do notice that the pricing of this (at retail) is significantly higher than Gruet, and perhaps this is part of bringing it in under the Browne label, and so I assume itâs intended to be a more premium product.
I wonder if the perceived âsweetnessâ of this is from the 75% Chardonnay / 25% PN Blend according to the specs. Though it didnât state RS.
@kaolis @klezman @pmarin @rjquillin
The specs show that the grapes are from NM. IMHO, it is Gruet juice with a hipster label designed to sell at a higher price point.
@chipgreen @klezman @pmarin @rjquillin Except there is very very little Gruet wine made with grapes from New Mexico. Browne said that Gruet made it with CA and WA grapes
A friend lives within stumbling distance to the tasting room in Walla Walla. Everything I have had from Browne has been quality, but I havenât had this bottle.
Browne has done other wine under the same label, but from Washington, it is a Washington winery after all. This being from New Mexico, but labeled or at least declared here as âAmerican Vineyards in New Mexicoâ just sounds odd. Wouldnât it be a New Mexico wine? Sounds like some odd Precept marketing cr*p to meâŠha! Wonder what the back label looks like. Or maybe itâs just a reference to AVA and Iâm out of line⊠??
@kaolis I wondered this also. I figured maybe they named something âAmerican Vineyardsâ, which seems like it shouldnât be allowed, but there ya go.
@kaolis
When Precept bought Gruet they did not have enough vineyards to support the amount of cases they wanted to make under the Gruet label so they started to use Washington grapes, thatâs when Gruet started using American on their label. So pretty sure they are Washington grapes.
@ScottW58 That makes no senseâŠcheers and ha!!
@ScottW58 Well I asked Browne Family Vineyards where this specific wine was sourced and they said:
âThank you for reaching out with your question regarding our sparkling wines made by our sister winery, Gruet, in New Mexico. They source their grapes from Washington and California. You can reach out directly to Gruet to order their beautiful wines at: info@gruetwinery.com.â
@kaolis @ScottW58 so itâs GRUET
at $3/bottle more
@kaolis
I would love to try a Great that actually was made from New Mexico grapes but that day could be gone 
Youâre welcome
@ScottW58 Well, that is a very good Marketing answer/non-answer. Itâs an art and Iâm sure Precept has people there trained in doing just that. Still, itâs better than a drivel answer (âwe strive to provide the most bestest product so all our customers live happily ever afterâŠâ). But it is kind-of funny.
EDIT but yeah, @kitkat34, it does seem to be Gruet at $3/bottle more.
@kitkat34 @ScottW58 But but but it has a cute? labelâŠand Iâm still confused about the American Vineyards in New Mexico thingâŠ
âDo Epic Shitâ Brut Sparkling
Tasting Notes
Specs
Whatâs Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $360/case MSRP
About The Winery
Browne Family Vineyards
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, ND, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Jun 13 - Wednesday, Jun 15
NV âDo Epic Shitâ Brut Sparkling from Browne Family Vineyards
6 bottles for $109.99 $18.33/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $179.99 $15/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations).
NV âDo Epic Shitâ Brut Sparkling from Browne Family Vineyards - $40 = 18.18%
In for a Case near north Houston if anyone wants to grab 2-3-4 or 6. Let me know
@Smoothgrandmama
Delivered today if anyone wants to grab a few.
The insert stated sparkling brut but also speaks on blanc de blancs processes? is it just that this âDo Epic Shitâ
is an unsweet made from whites? The 25% Pinot Noir blend is confusing but maybe I just do not understand. Happy Fathers Day and Happy JuneTeenth! Drinking mimosas
@LincolnMics Yeah, 25% Pinot Noir makes this not a blanc de blancs. Probably just a mistake in what insert they included?
And yes, brut in sparkling wine parlance means the sweetness is up to 12 g/l. Up to 6 g/l is extra brut and brut nature/brut zero is up to 3 g/l RS. In almost all cases (for traditional method/methode Champenoise) the sugar is added when the secondary fermentation lees/yeast is removed from the bottle at final corking.