It’s Back! Skinny Dip was supposed to be a one-off in 2021, but we loved the wine so much we made it again! It represents one of the more innovative and exciting creations from the 2021 Harvest, so we recreated the magic in 2022. We took the freshly pressed juicy pomace from the Grenache Gris at Gibson in Mendocino (which becomes our Isabel’s Cuvee) and put the juice from the Girard Vineyard Grenache Noir on the skins of the Grenache Gris for fermentation. The idea is to make a more complex wine that combines the best elements of both vineyards. Creating a love child between the magical aromatics of the Girard Grenache, and the texture and structure of the Grenache Gris. A new idea from Donkey & Goat that will no doubt drive more creativity and ideas.
Loosely inspired by Amarone and Ripasso wines, with our own unique twist and a heavy dose of improvisation!, this dark rose wine defies category and convention. Flirtatious with flavors of raspberry hard candy, currant, fruit leather, and pink lady apple leading the way, folding into more layered notes of rhubarb, hibiscus, cherry skins, and dried rose petals. This wine is versatile and can accompany an array of picnic and poolside affairs, but is looking for something rich with a bit of fat to pair with. Think skirt steak with chimichurri sauce, watermelon mint and feta salad, duck confit, pancetta, strawberry rhubarb pie with ice cream, or a fun and funky cheese plate. It can also make an excellent addition to a spritz or aperitif - literally a splash! - and we expect it might end up being that perfect last-of-the-night bottle…
Specs
Varietal: Grenache
Appellation: El Dorado
Vineyards: Girard
Age: 2000
Elevation: 2450
Harvested: September 1st, 2022
Pressed: September 15th, 2022
Fermentations: Wild yeasts & bacteria in concrete for 14 days before pressing off
Donkey & Goat is celebrated for being amongst a handful of pioneers in the Natural Wine community because in 2004 they were unique for their ecological principles driving decisions in both the vineyard and the cellar and ten years later for promoting transparency, being one of the first to list ingredients on their label. Founding winemakers Jared Brandt & Tracey Rogers spent a year with the inimitable Eric Texier in 2002 studying the art of crafting natural wines in the Rhone Valley before co-founding Donkey & Goat in 2004 in San Francisco.
In 2006, with distribution around the US and a growing mailing list, Donkey & Goat moved to 2323-B 4th Street in Berkeley where they built out the first winery facility that is now home to Maître de Chai Wine. Five years later in March of 2011, with a newborn Lily Brandt, the Brandts embarked upon the extensive build out for the current Winery & Tasting Room at 1340 5th Street which opened in July of 2011. Today the Berkeley Wine Block includes three additional wineries that the Brandts helped bring to the block: Broc Cellars (2013), Hammerling Wines (2018) and Vinca Minor (2019).
Available States
CA, CO, DC, FL, ID, IL, MD, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OR, PA, TX, VT, VA, WA, WI, WY
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
2022 Donkey & Goat Grenache - $50 = 23.80%
I received an email that I was chosen to be a Lab Rat and was excited to see what would arrive. I was very pleased to discover that it was an unfiltered Grenache. We decided to take this with us to enjoy at a concert in the park. We paired this wine with a coal fired wild mushroom pizza. This wine was perfect for enjoying at an outdoor event. The wine had aromas of raspberry and red fruit. On the pallet was herbs, and spice with an apple finish. This wine reminds me of a rose wine with heavy tannins and you occasionally get a surprise piece of grape in your glass.
This is a nice fun wine to enjoy at any outdoor get together.
it is chemically dry. No RS. That said, Grenache has some unfermentable sugars - make it taste a little sweet. I believe the name is pentose but could be wrong.
@briancurrie@jaredrbrandt@losthighwayz Sure, there are always unfermentable sugars. But from what I recall other winemakers saying in these parts, that’s never more than 0.1-0.2%, which is not perceptible as sweetness.
It sounds like you mean it’s fruity, which is easy to conflate with sweet. If it’s < 0.4% or so RS then that’s about the only answer.
@jaredrbrandt@tercerowines
I really was interested trying this; however the delayed and meh producer response just didn’t do much to encourage a buy.
This can be an outstanding forum with participation, unique in the realm of on-line sales sites.
No MO either. Odd. This looks very interesting, and potentially alongside The Crusher Orange wine from my Woot / Meh / Casemates Hall of Fame purchases.
@rjquillin
Sometimes there are tricks around those. Here’s what I was able to get:
Another Variable in the Winemaking Process: Climate Change
After two years of fires, the California winery Donkey & Goat has learned to pivot, combining appellations and even vintages to turn despair into deliciousness.
By Eric Asimov
Published April 7, 2022
Updated April 14, 2022
BERKELEY, Calif. — If anyone doubts the jarring effect that climate change has already had on the California wine industry, ample evidence was on display in late March at Donkey & Goat’s outdoor tasting area in this neighborhood of motorcycle repair shops and urban wineries.
At picnic tables in front of a graffitied cinder block wall, visitors sampled Donkey & Goat’s newly released wines, a group that even the producer’s most ardent fans would not recognize.
Instead of the usual bottles highlighting the hyperspecific terroir characteristics of single vineyards in Northern California, stretching from Mendocino and Sonoma east to El Dorado and the Sierra Foothills, the 2021 Donkey & Goat wines available to taste were either labeled with the generic “California” appellation or came from vineyards that had not been part of its usual lineup.
A correction was made on
April 13, 2022
An earlier version of this article, using information from Tracey Rogers Brandt, the winemaker of Donkey & Goat, misstated several points about Gris Gris, a wine she created in 2021. While many of the wines from Donkey & Goat are considered natural wines, Gris Gris is not. Ms. Rogers Brandt used a rosé subjected to reverse osmosis, a technological manipulation not used by natural winemakers, in the Gris Gris blend.
-Is this a rose or a red, or a hybrid. From the description, it’s like a red hybrid (juice on skins, but different skins). It’s light and bottled in a style like roses. So I’m curious.
-Do I treat this like a red temperature-wise?
We love grenache, lighter and heavier, and we love rose, love rose of grenache, and love weird stuff (especially since you can often get excellent artsy experimentation stuff at a good qpr, here at casemates). I just want to know sorta what I’m getting.
The Donkey & Goat Skinny Dip Grenache is an unfiltered unlfined wine that I believe is made to be drunk chilled. We tried the wine at room temperature, and while it was fine, the wine really opens up on the palate when chilled.
I have zero experience with more natural wine making styles and little experience with unfiltered wines. It’s got lots of energy with notes of apple, pear, and the descriptor above is accurate, “cherry skins”.
The wine is recommended as a poolside or picnic wine, though given that it does have some neutral barrel oak aging, I’d actually not bring this to the pool, I’d bring this to Thanksgiving as a great pre-Thanksgiving dinner aperitif wine.
Overall the wine presents itself here today as a very good value, and one that guests should love for Thanksgiving, whether before or during the meal.
@lastgoodbye thanks for the notes! Can you comment n the acidity? I enjoy zippy roses and though I don’t expect this to be in this category I hope it’s not flabby at all
@losthighwayz Sure. I prefer nice acidity backbone on my wine too, and I felt that this really has that ZIP, so to speak. It’s also loaded with minerality as well. Definitely not flabby. Hope that helps.
@losthighwayz maybe new on here but well known and well regarded. I agree winery participation would be ideal but this isn’t some random unknown winery, FWIW.
2022 Donkey & Goat Skinny Dip Grenache, El Dorado
Top 100 Wine, Wine & Spirits Magazine
Tasting Notes
Specs
What’s Included
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$388.00/Case for 12x 2022 Donkey & Goat Skinny Dip Grenache, El Dorado at Donkey & Goat Winery
About The Winery
Available States
CA, CO, DC, FL, ID, IL, MD, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OR, PA, TX, VT, VA, WA, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Nov 27 - Thursday, Nov 30
2022 Donkey & Goat Grenache
4 bottles for $69.99 $17.50/bottle + $2/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 and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
2022 Donkey & Goat Grenache - $50 = 23.80%
Wow, looks like a really interesting wine!
@klezman
2022 Donkey & Goat Skinny Dip Grenache, El Dorado
11.6% Alc
I received an email that I was chosen to be a Lab Rat and was excited to see what would arrive. I was very pleased to discover that it was an unfiltered Grenache. We decided to take this with us to enjoy at a concert in the park. We paired this wine with a coal fired wild mushroom pizza. This wine was perfect for enjoying at an outdoor event. The wine had aromas of raspberry and red fruit. On the pallet was herbs, and spice with an apple finish. This wine reminds me of a rose wine with heavy tannins and you occasionally get a surprise piece of grape in your glass.
This is a nice fun wine to enjoy at any outdoor get together.
@briancurrie would you say it’s bone dry?
@briancurrie ahem… Palate. Not pallet.
Thanks for the notes!
@briancurrie @losthighwayz I think it is very dry with some sweetness typical of Grenache
@briancurrie @jaredrbrandt @losthighwayz huh? Dry and sweet are opposite ends of the same scale.
@briancurrie @klezman @losthighwayz
it is chemically dry. No RS. That said, Grenache has some unfermentable sugars - make it taste a little sweet. I believe the name is pentose but could be wrong.
@briancurrie @jaredrbrandt @losthighwayz Sure, there are always unfermentable sugars. But from what I recall other winemakers saying in these parts, that’s never more than 0.1-0.2%, which is not perceptible as sweetness.
It sounds like you mean it’s fruity, which is easy to conflate with sweet. If it’s < 0.4% or so RS then that’s about the only answer.
@briancurrie @klezman @losthighwayz the .1 to .2% refers to fructose and glucose.
@jaredrbrandt @tercerowines
I really was interested trying this; however the delayed and meh producer response just didn’t do much to encourage a buy.
This can be an outstanding forum with participation, unique in the realm of on-line sales sites.
@jaredrbrandt @rjquillin @tercerowines I agree 1000%.
I wouldn’t say it is bone dry but also not sweet.
Wow. First time rejection by the shipping gods. No NC
@ovad2 I really want this, but TN is excluded, too!
@anoopr @ovad2 This might be the shortest list of States I’ve seen on Casemates.
No MO either. Odd. This looks very interesting, and potentially alongside The Crusher Orange wine from my Woot / Meh / Casemates Hall of Fame purchases.
https://wine.woot.com/offers/the-crusher-big-orange-white-blend-5
Dang, no SC.
A little background from NY Times
@kaolis PAYWALL!
@rjquillin really? No paywall for me… and I’m not a subscriber… oh well… and no need to YELL sir… ha!
@kaolis
@rjquillin
Sometimes there are tricks around those. Here’s what I was able to get:
Another Variable in the Winemaking Process: Climate Change
After two years of fires, the California winery Donkey & Goat has learned to pivot, combining appellations and even vintages to turn despair into deliciousness.
By Eric Asimov
Published April 7, 2022
Updated April 14, 2022
BERKELEY, Calif. — If anyone doubts the jarring effect that climate change has already had on the California wine industry, ample evidence was on display in late March at Donkey & Goat’s outdoor tasting area in this neighborhood of motorcycle repair shops and urban wineries.
At picnic tables in front of a graffitied cinder block wall, visitors sampled Donkey & Goat’s newly released wines, a group that even the producer’s most ardent fans would not recognize.
Instead of the usual bottles highlighting the hyperspecific terroir characteristics of single vineyards in Northern California, stretching from Mendocino and Sonoma east to El Dorado and the Sierra Foothills, the 2021 Donkey & Goat wines available to taste were either labeled with the generic “California” appellation or came from vineyards that had not been part of its usual lineup.
A correction was made on
April 13, 2022
An earlier version of this article, using information from Tracey Rogers Brandt, the winemaker of Donkey & Goat, misstated several points about Gris Gris, a wine she created in 2021. While many of the wines from Donkey & Goat are considered natural wines, Gris Gris is not. Ms. Rogers Brandt used a rosé subjected to reverse osmosis, a technological manipulation not used by natural winemakers, in the Gris Gris blend.
I’m intrigued, but lots of questions:
-Is this a rose or a red, or a hybrid. From the description, it’s like a red hybrid (juice on skins, but different skins). It’s light and bottled in a style like roses. So I’m curious.
-Do I treat this like a red temperature-wise?
We love grenache, lighter and heavier, and we love rose, love rose of grenache, and love weird stuff (especially since you can often get excellent artsy experimentation stuff at a good qpr, here at casemates). I just want to know sorta what I’m getting.
@wardad I treated this like a rose or orange wine and it was better for it.
@wardad I agree - similar to orange in style
The Donkey & Goat Skinny Dip Grenache is an unfiltered unlfined wine that I believe is made to be drunk chilled. We tried the wine at room temperature, and while it was fine, the wine really opens up on the palate when chilled.
I have zero experience with more natural wine making styles and little experience with unfiltered wines. It’s got lots of energy with notes of apple, pear, and the descriptor above is accurate, “cherry skins”.
The wine is recommended as a poolside or picnic wine, though given that it does have some neutral barrel oak aging, I’d actually not bring this to the pool, I’d bring this to Thanksgiving as a great pre-Thanksgiving dinner aperitif wine.
Overall the wine presents itself here today as a very good value, and one that guests should love for Thanksgiving, whether before or during the meal.
@lastgoodbye thanks for the notes! Can you comment n the acidity? I enjoy zippy roses and though I don’t expect this to be in this category I hope it’s not flabby at all
Thanks
@losthighwayz Sure. I prefer nice acidity backbone on my wine too, and I felt that this really has that ZIP, so to speak. It’s also loaded with minerality as well. Definitely not flabby. Hope that helps.
@lastgoodbye @losthighwayz all of our wines have good acidity.
New producer on here that would benefit from winery participation. I’m very interested but have a few questions. Rats make this an enticing offer
@losthighwayz maybe new on here but well known and well regarded. I agree winery participation would be ideal but this isn’t some random unknown winery, FWIW.
@klezman well that’s what I meant. New on here.
@losthighwayz sorry - been traveling and at a wine show today. Let me know your questions.
@losthighwayz let me know your questions
@jaredrbrandt @losthighwayz someone get that man a winery badge!
would be up for a split if anyone near Worcester MA is interested!
Any tech notes on this anyone? That would help give folks an idea about levels of dryness and acidity . . .
@tercerowines I don’t have the notes with me. Traveling in NY.
@jaredrbrandt thanks my friend - just trying to help others here…
@tercerowines thank you!