This unique blend, as rare as a Unicorn sighting, contains not one drop of Cabernet Sauvignon nor Merlot nor Cabernet Franc. We are not aware of any other Meritage composed entirely of Petit Verdot and Malbec.
About the Wine
Petit Verdot is the ink of Bordeaux. Though an essential element of their blends, rarely is it employed at more than 2%. At this level, it imparts lush, refined tannins without overpowering the blend. At higher proportions, it obscures complexity and nuance, offering little aromatic interest of its own.
Steve Hill’s wonderful Hidden Spring Vineyard reliably produces that rarest of treasures – a stand-alone Petit Verdot – testament to the site’s full sun and the great drainage of its rocky soil, which allow the fruit to fully ripen, overcoming its high natural acidity and permitting the aromas of considerable interest to develop, generally over the course of four years in barrel.
Unaccountably, the 2019 season gave us instead an eminently drinkable and wonderfully complex wine, needing only a modest blend of Diamond Ridge Vineyard’s opulent Malbec to add rich strawberry fruit and lush texture.
The resulting dense, oily tannins support seductive aromas of berry, cassis, licorice, and tar. The wine is both delicious and powerfully seductive. This vintage was released ahead of the 2017 Petit Verdot due to its surprising early drinkability. Enjoy with grilled lamb chops, duck breast, or an elderly cheddar.
Specs
80% Petit Verdot
Hidden Springs Vineyard, Alexander Valley AVA
Harvested 27 September
25.1 Brix
20% Malbec Clone 4
Diamond Ridge Vineyard, Clear Lake AVA
Harvested 2 October
24.1 Brix Fermentation techniques:
Diluted with water to 23.5 Brix
ICV D-80 yeast
7.5 g/L untoasted Alliers chips
14-day maceration Elevage details:
Three weeks microbüllage pre-ML
29 months in neutral French oak
Alcohol sweet spot at 13.8%
pH 3.80 at bottling
Production: 139 cases
What’s Included
3-bottles:
3x 2019 WineSmith Cellars Unicorn Red Table Wine, Sonoma County & Lake County
Case:
12x 2019 WineSmith Cellars Unicorn Red Table Wine, Sonoma County & Lake County
Clark Smith is an MIT drop-out who wandered out to California in 1972 and sold wine retail in the Bay Area for several years, where he acquired a love of Bordeaux, Burgundy, and all things French and observed firsthand the California winery explosion in the 1970s. After a three-year stint at Veedercrest Vineyards, he secured enology training at UC Davis and spent the 1980s as founding winemaker for The R.H. Phillips Vineyard in Yolo County. In 1990, he founded WineSmith Consulting and patented a group of new winemaking techniques involving reverse osmosis, spinning off Vinovation, which went on to become the world’s largest wine production consulting firm over its 17-year history.
Frustrated with California’s winemaking trends, Clark started WineSmith Cellars in 1993 as a teaching winery to make Eurocentric wines to explore traditions beyond the mainstream, expanding for his winemaking clients the range of possibilities for California fruit. Choosing to create long-term partnerships with committed growers rather than growing his own grapes, Clark has become a renowned expert on Cabernet Franc, having vinified twenty vintages from a wide variety of sites.
Teaching at Napa Valley College gave him access to the Student Vineyard for Faux Chablis and his Pauillac-style $100 “Crucible” Cabernet Sauvignon. From Renaissance Vineyards in North Yuba County, he has made a sulfite-free Roman Syrah and also produces a Pinot Noir from Fiddlestix Vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills in a delicate, age-worthy Côtes de Beaune style. These wines are vinified in an ancient beat-up warehouse in Sebastopol, California.
WineSmith wines are noted for their longevity, classic balance, structural integrity, minerality, and understated soulfulness. They often are aged extensively prior to release. When drinking a WineSmith wine, always ask yourself “What is this wine trying to teach me?” Clark is a vocal advocate of living soil and graceful longevity, and generally avoids excessive oak, alcohol, or extended hang-time. He is not shy about employing new tools when they are needed, such as alcohol adjustment to bring fruit into balance or micro-oxygenation to build refined structure, but always fully discloses techniques which are controversial and is outspoken in explaining his rationale.
His book, Postmodern Winemaking, is the culmination of four decades of reflection on wine’s true nature.
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, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
So Clark, what was the natural alcohol in this case? How far away from the sweet spot and how much reverse osmosis did you need?
This sounds super interesting…
Nobody has ever asked me such a delicious question.
For starters, there is no such thing as “natural alcohol”, but I assume you mean the alcohol we would have obtained if we had fermented without water dilution on a series of unknown (indiginous) yeasts and failed to adjust technologically - a series os foolish and incompetent practices which make bad wines and the unschooled consumer is better off no mettling with.
WineSmith is an experimntal brand that seeks, through intelligence rather than benighn neglect, to demonstrate that California can make better wines than Franc can. I’ve been at this for over 40 years, and am learning every day how to accomplish this, in doing so before I die to determine the principles that support great wine in France and in our acciples i the New World.
My own practice in the diverse California vineyards vineyards that supply WineSmith continues to amaze me. In this example, we pulled our Hidden Spring PV from a lineup of blockbusters that normally take four years to mature because it bloomed for early blending and release. Our extended blending trials zeroed in on this unique varietal blend – a classic Bordeaux style with a classic tannin full of complex dark fruit with undertones of bright Malbec strawberries.
Unicorns are the most meautiful of mythical creatures and gone forever. We made 130 cases and this kind of wine may not pass here again.
@winesmith right. I was asking what the alcohol was in the finished wine pre-adjustment. So yes, the “natural” level of alcohol achieved once the yeast finished eating all the sugar. Since you say in the notes that you water back the just, I assume that’s before fermentation and the adjustment is post fermentation with reverse osmosis the you’ve talked about before.
@klezman Even though I invented the reverse osmosis procedure for alcohol adjustment, I actually seldom need to use it. If my brix is above 23.5, I carefully calculate the replacement water to bring the resulting alcohol down to 13.5. This means I usulally don’t need to use RO, which is expensive on my small scale. I do sometimes find myself just below a sweet spot of harmonious balance, in which case I’ll add a touch of very clean high proof neutral brandy to move the wine up 0.1 - 0.4% to a harmonious sweet spot.
@pmarin Yes, more or less. It’s distilled at 170 - 190 proof so it’s very clean with no flavor of its own.
I get it from the people I sold the reverse osmosis technology to, so what they’re distilling is RO permeate, already very neutral going into the still.
@winesmith while I have not made your Friday night Zoom sessions in a VERY long time, I am still enjoying your delicious creations in between loads of work (and bunnies)!
Look forward to trying this… too anxious to wait for rats (and also NOT a Rat), and WS has not led me wrong yet!
/giphy vivacious-problematic-jar
I don’t have tasting notes but I can say that this is an exceptional wine. A true unicorn, and one that will not be seen again. There will not be additional vintages of this wine sadly, so get it while you can!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations).
2019 WineSmith Cellars Unicorn Red Blend - $50 = 16.65%
@tklempay I know. 1914 I believe. Never had anything quite like the herb mix they use. I tried to buy it online: $25 + shipping, but shipping was $160, so I simply need to go there. It’s on my bucket list.
@tklempay You’re on. But please whisper me your contact info. You may be on our mailing list, but we don’t know your handle. We have three customers in the Utica area.
We had over some family members to try the wine with us and give first impressions. I forgot to snap a photo of the wine in the glass but here’s the bottle and cork:
First, what an interesting blend! I’ve never seen a blend with only Petit Verdot and Malbec. Checking out google, there are only a few blends with only these two grapes that I can find.
We had a first took a sip right after the bottle was opened. Everybody gave a “wow” - very nice fruit on the nose. We decanted the wine for an hour and drank it over the next 4 hours after decant. Based on first sips and last sips, I’d recommend at least 1-2 hours of breathing time.
It’s quite tannic with complex flavor. It was an interesting profile with nice flavors but low alcohol. Paired very well with cheddar (as the bottle notes) and salami. Everyone called out berry notes, a few folks called out cherry.
It developed nicely over the time period (really nice 3 hours in). While the wine was very enjoyable today and good to open now, I’d bet it will age quite well for several more years.
The last winesmith bottle we had was the offering for 2007 Russian River Valley Pinot, which we drank in ~2019. This is obviously a wildly different wine, but we enjoyed the RRV bottle and we enjoyed the Unicorn as much if not more.
I know people appreciate Winesmith for the unique offerings, and this one is no different. I just watched Clark’s video after typing up this review and see this will be the only release of the wine. Fans of Winesmith and newbies will want to pick themselves up a shipment here!
@ampeloquin22 Excellent! I can go with a 2-way split, or 3 if we find another. I get to the Twin Cities every month or so, and my next visit will the weekend of August 20/21. I’m fine with placing the order and we can meet when I get into town.
@Belbembef - @coynedj and I grabbed a case and are happy to split out a few bottles let me know how many you’d like and I’ll reach out when I receive the shipment. Cheers!
@Belbembef@coynedj - I received the case yesterday. @Belbembef - Do you want any bottles? @coynedj - Let me know when you’re in town and we can find a place to meet. Cheers - Aaron
2019 WineSmith “Unicorn”
I was fortunate to spot a unicorn. Let’s cut to the chase: this wine is special. Like all WineSmith wines, this one is profound, balanced, and unique. Fantastic on its own after some decanting, but sublime when paired with certain foods.
My bottle arrived in perfect condition and temperature. I had plenty of time to plan ahead for food pairings, and sharing is caring, right? I was meeting @ttboy23 halfway to do some casemates-legging and try some local brews. I popped Unicorn right before getting on the road. I poured a glass for my parents to try, his into a empty split, and corked mine.
On initial pour, the wine was aromatically tight and had some alcohol (despite the moderate abv) obscuring the goodness to come. This definitely needs some time to breathe, and waiting half the day surely helped.
Ms. Knmeh7 and I used the De Long tasting sheet as our template.
Visual: Deep purple / dark ruby. Great clarity.
Aromatics: We somewhat differed finding it between powerfully aromatic and simply aromatic. I think this had to do with how much we recognized the wet forest, mushroom, old book, sage, tar, earth aromas versus the deeper plum, blackberry, blueberry, fruits that were playing second fiddle to the more pronounced aforementioned ones.
Taste: We both agreed this wine is divine, but I found it full-bodied, dry, with crisp acidity and that minerality “buzzing energy” in the mouth. Noticeably present rounded tannins are perfect for the food to come leading to a perfectly balanced wine with a long finish. She, however, found it medium-bodied, dry but perceived sweetness, smooth acidity, with a medium amount of round tannins. Balanced with with a medium finish. Flavors of dark fruits, dark stone fruits including tart cherry. Sage, menthol, anise. Bright red berries emerged over time and after food pairings.
Food: Per the artist’s suggestion, our first pairing was extra sharp cheddar. Wow. It made the cheddar taste more “cheddary”, if that sounds possible. It did a remarkable job of making each bite taste better more intense than the previous one. Dark fruit flavors paired like jam on a cheese board, not to be confused with tasting “jammy.”
Next up an antelope burger! (The store didn’t have unicorn.) Red meat and Bordeaux-style blends have always worked for me, and this is no exception. The tar, sage, mushroom, earthy aromas worked with the slight gamy uniqueness of the antelope. It was lean, so the tannins weren’t as necessary as say a ribeye, but I imagine they would easily cleans the palate making you crave more, especially with that subtle energy tingle in the mouth.
Finally, some chocolates friends brought back from Copenhagen. White chocolate with Persian licorice was perhaps the most unbelievable chocolate and wine pairing I have ever had. We had both completely missed ant licorice component in Unicorn, but the second you had a hint of it, it smacks you over the head like how could have not noticed me. When you buy this wine—and everyone should—do yourself a favor, because if you take anything from my lab rat: try this wine with something licorice flavored, even if that isn’t your jam. Trust me.
Conclusion: Buy this wine. This is worth the SRP, and a steal on here. It is a unicorn; however, also a chameleon, changing with air, food, mood, and time. It is definitely young, needs to breathe, and will likely last a long time. However, I will leave those calls up to the maestro. This wine needs food to reach its full potential, but even halfway there, it eclipses so many others.
Thank you so much to Clark, Alice, and WD. It is always a pleasure to rat any wine; this time I landed a unicorn!
You are wondering what did your parents and @ttboy23 think? I hope he chimes in, because in an attempt to not sway my impressions, he kept his opinions to himself other than it was reminding him of a Petite Sirah. Dad said full mouthfeel but didn’t knock his socks off. Mom thought alcohol and astringency at first, but after time it mellowed. With aged Swiss, it revealed cherry and dark fruits which changed her impressions for the better. They said it is a wine that definitely needs decanted and food.
Here’s my NOT a rat chiming in lol!
Many thanks to my Casemate from the (short) south for sharing!
I uncorked the 350 mL already partially decanted served it with ribs, green beans, baked potato.
On initial smell a little heat present and some medicine cabinet like Band-Aid but that quickly changed into the dark fruits as was the taste with black raspberry and black cherry
The tannins were present and up front
The heat is dissipating, for a second I got jolly rancher
This wine tastes like no other I’ve had. Unicorn is the perfect name! If I had to guess it reminded me of a Petit Sirah
It was not my favorite on it’s own but as said earlier it really shines with food. It went perfectly with the BBQ ribs and amazing even with green beans. Better than any wine I’ve paired with food.
Thanks again KN for sharing and great job on your report!!
@cdn1127
I’m up in NEO so if you plan to travel up this direction anytime soon, I’d be happy to hop in on a split. I never have much of a reason to head down your way though, so not confident this will work out.
Excellent question. Let me apply myself to this investigation this evening. It combines the dark, angry notes of Cabernet Sauvignon with some bright valiant notes that are more like Petite Sirah, some I’m unsure what will work. A fun assignment.
@karenhynes Okay, it’s done, and a magnificent playlist it is. Go to www.pairingwineandmusic.com, click on Playlists, and scroll down. There’s an hour of free downloadable music there on Spotify that will show you all aspects of Unicorn.
I was contacted by my (only) central Missouri Casemateer (who also has a fondness for Winesmith wines) so I guess we’ll be splitting a case. Since we have a Unicorn wine from @winesmith, I think consideration should be given to a Sandcrab wine in the future!
I am about to reveal how inept I am on the computer-I was going to ask if anyone in the NOVA area would be up for a split when I remembered I am supposed to be splitting with someone else on another wine. Did not exchange emails and I didn’t write it down -since they purchased the wine its not on my feed-please get in touch if this is you, next time I will write it down. Should know by now not to depend on my memory. Would be interested in a split on this too. Help!!
@jmdavidson1 i was about to ask the same thing… @winesmith mentioned in the video that “it’s gonna live a really long time but it’s really drinkable right now.” Clark, will you give us some drinking window information?
@jmdavidson1 I’m interested in what folks think. It is certainly drinkable now, but I see the potential for development of seriously profound bottle bouquet in around five years. After that, it’s surely good for an additional decade in a good cellar.
Couldn’t risk losing a Unicorn trying to find someone to split with. Guess it will be a post tasting split…if I feel like giving some up. Its a Beaut Clark
@ScottHarveyWine You’ll love this stuff, Scott. Let me know your impressions. And definitely check out the Spotify playlist I put together last night at www.pairingwineandmusic.com.
@PLSemenza Apparently jack rabbits get horns due to a rare virus. I guess I’ll keep this in mind. Many old vines are afflicted with various viruses and sometimes it’s a good thing.
@FritzCat Popped a bottle. Very young, Malbec is doing its part, yeah…about 20% fruit. The PV is doing its part, dry, persistence and tannins. However, it’s thin, disjointed and not a fabulous wine. Can’t wait to try it tomorrow and 5 - 10 years down the road. This wine has great potential.
@mrn1@winesmith Update; Day 2.
Nice nose of warm Eastern/Indian spices…very unusual. Not opaque, but a beautiful deep garnet. The flavors have come together and filled in the mid-palate, maybe a little vegetal. Very Old-World, but no band-aids, dry with fine tannins, and a medium finish. This is one that I’ll lose, and be thrilled to find many years down the road. Truly a Unicorn; Thanks for the opportunity WineSmith.
@FritzCat@mrn1 Hard to say. I definitely recommend decantive breathing at this stage, but sho’ am good right now. On the other hand, I’m quite sure that when its bottle bouquet is fully developed in five years or so, you will definitely pee your pants. I don’t know how much you have. If it’s a case, I’d certainly advise trying one now.
This was so good! Definitely picked up so much of the dark berry, and rounded tannins is a great way to describe it. It was amazing with a spinach salad with dried cherries and balsamic vinegar! Can’t wait to try a glass with sharp cheddar. I love this
2019 WineSmith Cellars Unicorn Red Table Wine
Tasting Notes
About the Wine
Specs
Fermentation techniques:
Elevage details:
What’s Included
3-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $600/case MSRP
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, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Aug 8 - Wednesday, Aug 10
2019 WineSmith Cellars Unicorn Red Blend
3 bottles for $74.99 $25/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $249.99 $20.83/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
So Clark, what was the natural alcohol in this case? How far away from the sweet spot and how much reverse osmosis did you need?
This sounds super interesting…
@klezman
Nobody has ever asked me such a delicious question.
For starters, there is no such thing as “natural alcohol”, but I assume you mean the alcohol we would have obtained if we had fermented without water dilution on a series of unknown (indiginous) yeasts and failed to adjust technologically - a series os foolish and incompetent practices which make bad wines and the unschooled consumer is better off no mettling with.
WineSmith is an experimntal brand that seeks, through intelligence rather than benighn neglect, to demonstrate that California can make better wines than Franc can. I’ve been at this for over 40 years, and am learning every day how to accomplish this, in doing so before I die to determine the principles that support great wine in France and in our acciples i the New World.
My own practice in the diverse California vineyards vineyards that supply WineSmith continues to amaze me. In this example, we pulled our Hidden Spring PV from a lineup of blockbusters that normally take four years to mature because it bloomed for early blending and release. Our extended blending trials zeroed in on this unique varietal blend – a classic Bordeaux style with a classic tannin full of complex dark fruit with undertones of bright Malbec strawberries.
Unicorns are the most meautiful of mythical creatures and gone forever. We made 130 cases and this kind of wine may not pass here again.
@winesmith right. I was asking what the alcohol was in the finished wine pre-adjustment. So yes, the “natural” level of alcohol achieved once the yeast finished eating all the sugar. Since you say in the notes that you water back the just, I assume that’s before fermentation and the adjustment is post fermentation with reverse osmosis the you’ve talked about before.
@klezman Even though I invented the reverse osmosis procedure for alcohol adjustment, I actually seldom need to use it. If my brix is above 23.5, I carefully calculate the replacement water to bring the resulting alcohol down to 13.5. This means I usulally don’t need to use RO, which is expensive on my small scale. I do sometimes find myself just below a sweet spot of harmonious balance, in which case I’ll add a touch of very clean high proof neutral brandy to move the wine up 0.1 - 0.4% to a harmonious sweet spot.
@winesmith that’s really interesting, as always!
@winesmith So is high proof neutral brandy kind of like ´grain neutral spirits’ except it’s ´grape neutral spirits?´
@pmarin Yes, more or less. It’s distilled at 170 - 190 proof so it’s very clean with no flavor of its own.
I get it from the people I sold the reverse osmosis technology to, so what they’re distilling is RO permeate, already very neutral going into the still.
@winesmith while I have not made your Friday night Zoom sessions in a VERY long time, I am still enjoying your delicious creations in between loads of work (and bunnies)!
Look forward to trying this… too anxious to wait for rats (and also NOT a Rat), and WS has not led me wrong yet!
/giphy vivacious-problematic-jar
Eileen, we miss you terribly. You add life and spice and are a great sounding board for our rambling conversations. Come back!
I’m not going to wait. Major FOMO here.
/giphy unreal-craven-trail
I don’t have tasting notes but I can say that this is an exceptional wine. A true unicorn, and one that will not be seen again. There will not be additional vintages of this wine sadly, so get it while you can!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations).
2019 WineSmith Cellars Unicorn Red Blend - $50 = 16.65%
Alright Central NY folks, anyone interested in splitting a case. I’m in the Utica area.
@tklempay I used to live in New Hartford when I was 12 years old. Man oh man do I miss those hardwood forests and O’scugnizzo Pizzeria. Yum.
@winesmith very cool! Moved to NH in '04 and you’ll be happy to know, O’scugnizzo is still going strong, now the 2nd oldest pizzeria in the country.
@tklempay I know. 1914 I believe. Never had anything quite like the herb mix they use. I tried to buy it online: $25 + shipping, but shipping was $160, so I simply need to go there. It’s on my bucket list.
@winesmith Clark, you make that bucket list a reality and visit here, look me up, you have my contact info from my order lol. First pie’s on me.
@tklempay You’re on. But please whisper me your contact info. You may be on our mailing list, but we don’t know your handle. We have three customers in the Utica area.
We had over some family members to try the wine with us and give first impressions. I forgot to snap a photo of the wine in the glass but here’s the bottle and cork:
First, what an interesting blend! I’ve never seen a blend with only Petit Verdot and Malbec. Checking out google, there are only a few blends with only these two grapes that I can find.
We had a first took a sip right after the bottle was opened. Everybody gave a “wow” - very nice fruit on the nose. We decanted the wine for an hour and drank it over the next 4 hours after decant. Based on first sips and last sips, I’d recommend at least 1-2 hours of breathing time.
It’s quite tannic with complex flavor. It was an interesting profile with nice flavors but low alcohol. Paired very well with cheddar (as the bottle notes) and salami. Everyone called out berry notes, a few folks called out cherry.
It developed nicely over the time period (really nice 3 hours in). While the wine was very enjoyable today and good to open now, I’d bet it will age quite well for several more years.
The last winesmith bottle we had was the offering for 2007 Russian River Valley Pinot, which we drank in ~2019. This is obviously a wildly different wine, but we enjoyed the RRV bottle and we enjoyed the Unicorn as much if not more.
I know people appreciate Winesmith for the unique offerings, and this one is no different. I just watched Clark’s video after typing up this review and see this will be the only release of the wine. Fans of Winesmith and newbies will want to pick themselves up a shipment here!
Just when I thought I was making progress on my “drink down the inventory” campaign, you had to bring out something like this.
Anyone in the Sioux Falls/Twin Cities corridor up for a split?
@coynedj - I’m interested in a split or three way split. I’m on the West side of the cities. Happy to pick it up.
@ampeloquin22 Excellent! I can go with a 2-way split, or 3 if we find another. I get to the Twin Cities every month or so, and my next visit will the weekend of August 20/21. I’m fine with placing the order and we can meet when I get into town.
@coynedj If you are still looking to have a three way split I’d be happy to grab 2 or 3 bottles. Live in city of Mpls.
@Belbembef - @coynedj and I grabbed a case and are happy to split out a few bottles let me know how many you’d like and I’ll reach out when I receive the shipment. Cheers!
@Belbembef @coynedj - I received the case yesterday. @Belbembef - Do you want any bottles? @coynedj - Let me know when you’re in town and we can find a place to meet. Cheers - Aaron
another unicorn
2019 WineSmith “Unicorn”
I was fortunate to spot a unicorn. Let’s cut to the chase: this wine is special. Like all WineSmith wines, this one is profound, balanced, and unique. Fantastic on its own after some decanting, but sublime when paired with certain foods.
My bottle arrived in perfect condition and temperature. I had plenty of time to plan ahead for food pairings, and sharing is caring, right? I was meeting @ttboy23 halfway to do some casemates-legging and try some local brews. I popped Unicorn right before getting on the road. I poured a glass for my parents to try, his into a empty split, and corked mine.
On initial pour, the wine was aromatically tight and had some alcohol (despite the moderate abv) obscuring the goodness to come. This definitely needs some time to breathe, and waiting half the day surely helped.
Ms. Knmeh7 and I used the De Long tasting sheet as our template.
Visual: Deep purple / dark ruby. Great clarity.
Aromatics: We somewhat differed finding it between powerfully aromatic and simply aromatic. I think this had to do with how much we recognized the wet forest, mushroom, old book, sage, tar, earth aromas versus the deeper plum, blackberry, blueberry, fruits that were playing second fiddle to the more pronounced aforementioned ones.
Taste: We both agreed this wine is divine, but I found it full-bodied, dry, with crisp acidity and that minerality “buzzing energy” in the mouth. Noticeably present rounded tannins are perfect for the food to come leading to a perfectly balanced wine with a long finish. She, however, found it medium-bodied, dry but perceived sweetness, smooth acidity, with a medium amount of round tannins. Balanced with with a medium finish. Flavors of dark fruits, dark stone fruits including tart cherry. Sage, menthol, anise. Bright red berries emerged over time and after food pairings.
Food: Per the artist’s suggestion, our first pairing was extra sharp cheddar. Wow. It made the cheddar taste more “cheddary”, if that sounds possible. It did a remarkable job of making each bite taste better more intense than the previous one. Dark fruit flavors paired like jam on a cheese board, not to be confused with tasting “jammy.”
Next up an antelope burger! (The store didn’t have unicorn.) Red meat and Bordeaux-style blends have always worked for me, and this is no exception. The tar, sage, mushroom, earthy aromas worked with the slight gamy uniqueness of the antelope. It was lean, so the tannins weren’t as necessary as say a ribeye, but I imagine they would easily cleans the palate making you crave more, especially with that subtle energy tingle in the mouth.
Finally, some chocolates friends brought back from Copenhagen. White chocolate with Persian licorice was perhaps the most unbelievable chocolate and wine pairing I have ever had. We had both completely missed ant licorice component in Unicorn, but the second you had a hint of it, it smacks you over the head like how could have not noticed me. When you buy this wine—and everyone should—do yourself a favor, because if you take anything from my lab rat: try this wine with something licorice flavored, even if that isn’t your jam. Trust me.
Conclusion: Buy this wine. This is worth the SRP, and a steal on here. It is a unicorn; however, also a chameleon, changing with air, food, mood, and time. It is definitely young, needs to breathe, and will likely last a long time. However, I will leave those calls up to the maestro. This wine needs food to reach its full potential, but even halfway there, it eclipses so many others.
Thank you so much to Clark, Alice, and WD. It is always a pleasure to rat any wine; this time I landed a unicorn!
You are wondering what did your parents and @ttboy23 think? I hope he chimes in, because in an attempt to not sway my impressions, he kept his opinions to himself other than it was reminding him of a Petite Sirah. Dad said full mouthfeel but didn’t knock his socks off. Mom thought alcohol and astringency at first, but after time it mellowed. With aged Swiss, it revealed cherry and dark fruits which changed her impressions for the better. They said it is a wine that definitely needs decanted and food.
@KNmeh7
Here’s my NOT a rat chiming in lol!
Many thanks to my Casemate from the (short) south for sharing!
I uncorked the 350 mL already partially decanted served it with ribs, green beans, baked potato.
On initial smell a little heat present and some medicine cabinet like Band-Aid but that quickly changed into the dark fruits as was the taste with black raspberry and black cherry
The tannins were present and up front
The heat is dissipating, for a second I got jolly rancher
This wine tastes like no other I’ve had. Unicorn is the perfect name! If I had to guess it reminded me of a Petit Sirah
It was not my favorite on it’s own but as said earlier it really shines with food. It went perfectly with the BBQ ribs and amazing even with green beans. Better than any wine I’ve paired with food.
Thanks again KN for sharing and great job on your report!!
@KNmeh7 @rjquillin my own banner?! Awwww, you’re too kind, RJQ? I’m feeling all “warm and fuzzy” inside.
@ttboy23 Is there a case coming? Want me to order? I’ll do it!!! This looks different, tasty, and interesting. I’ll be out of town most of August…
If Casemates(sale)=“Winesmith”
then confirm BankBalance
If BankBalance>SalePrice
then execute auto-buy sequence
invincible-tinted-sidewinder
@Turbo5000 Eek, is that a 1970s era COBOL flashback?
Any CMH/Central Ohio folks want to go in on a split of this? We would be happy with 3 or 4 bottles.
@cdn1127 I adore this wine and would gladly be in for 3-4.
@cdn1127
I’m up in NEO so if you plan to travel up this direction anytime soon, I’d be happy to hop in on a split. I never have much of a reason to head down your way though, so not confident this will work out.
@cdn1127 I’d be in for 3-4 as well
@cdn1127 if you guys would like to do a 4 way split, I would take 3
@albish7 @cdn1127 3 works for me if we have 4 people.
@cdn1127 I would be interested in 3-4 bottles if you need another. I’m in S-W CMH.
@cdn1127 @KNmeh7 sounds good - I will go ahead and buy if you guys have not already purchased
Winesmith + Unicorn = Autobuy
/giphy easy-reminiscent-llama
@winesmith
What sort of musical pairings do you suggest?
I, too, have missed many of the Friday Zooms. I need to wander back into the fold.
@karenhynes Yes, you must rejoin the tribe.
Excellent question. Let me apply myself to this investigation this evening. It combines the dark, angry notes of Cabernet Sauvignon with some bright valiant notes that are more like Petite Sirah, some I’m unsure what will work. A fun assignment.
@karenhynes Okay, it’s done, and a magnificent playlist it is. Go to www.pairingwineandmusic.com, click on Playlists, and scroll down. There’s an hour of free downloadable music there on Spotify that will show you all aspects of Unicorn.
@winesmith Looks like a great list! Thank you so much!
/giphy irreverent-gripping-flower
/giphy sedate-abandoned-tuna
/giphy numerous-loved-monkey
/giphy ocular-knockout-cave
Are these 750ml or 325? no info and hard to tell from the picture
@aliens1947 a full 750ml
@aliens1947 @ttboy23 Always (on this site), unless otherwise specified.
Hope I don’t regret splitting a case of this.
@finewiner Surely your best play is to split two cases.
Anyone in SoCal up for an x-# split?
@rjquillin These unicorn wines test my resolve. Keep me updated on the possibilities. I’m definitely a maybe.
@klezman fomo lurks…
@rjquillin seriously. And the other PV was excellent. Haven’t tried the Malbec yet.
@klezman @rjquillin i have the fomo too. but. no space. no space.
@radiolysis @rjquillin Well, I leave it in your hands to decide. If you do it I can take 4 but if not then I’ll live with the fomo.
@klezman @radiolysis
Buried in the hidden part of the thread this was.
/giphy green-harmonious-cracker
I was contacted by my (only) central Missouri Casemateer (who also has a fondness for Winesmith wines) so I guess we’ll be splitting a case. Since we have a Unicorn wine from @winesmith, I think consideration should be given to a Sandcrab wine in the future!
In for a case!
Any SF people want to split?
@sdfreedive did you get a case? Late reply, but if you have more of a case than you’d like, I’d be down to split.
/giphy bragging-enormous-prose
From Faux Chablis to Crucible, autobuy
/giphy fiery-knockout-sugarplum
/giphy yawny-lofty-sloth
In for a case. Anyone in the Nashville area interested in splitting?
/giphy undervalued-glib-lobster
Anyone in So NH or Boston Area, I ordered a case & willing to share.
@netcommsyn I am, Jon… hope we can connect this time
@netcommsyn I would be as well if you want to go 3 ways?
I am about to reveal how inept I am on the computer-I was going to ask if anyone in the NOVA area would be up for a split when I remembered I am supposed to be splitting with someone else on another wine. Did not exchange emails and I didn’t write it down -since they purchased the wine its not on my feed-please get in touch if this is you, next time I will write it down. Should know by now not to depend on my memory. Would be interested in a split on this too. Help!!
@dianefreda Check the NOVA thread itself and ask if you have any takers on a split.
Tampa Bay Florida, anyone interested in splitting a case, 2, 3 or 4 ways?
@free2day33611
I am!
So, I’ll ask the question. What’s the drinking window?
@jmdavidson1 i was about to ask the same thing… @winesmith mentioned in the video that “it’s gonna live a really long time but it’s really drinkable right now.” Clark, will you give us some drinking window information?
@jmdavidson1 I’m interested in what folks think. It is certainly drinkable now, but I see the potential for development of seriously profound bottle bouquet in around five years. After that, it’s surely good for an additional decade in a good cellar.
Anyone in/around Chicago want to split a case?
@ChiCityShimo I came to the party too late, but if you bought and want to split I am in. I work in downtown Chicago, I live in NW Indiana.
@cbilyak Ah sorry I ended up just getting a 3 pack for myself. Next time!
Couldn’t risk losing a Unicorn trying to find someone to split with. Guess it will be a post tasting split…if I feel like giving some up. Its a Beaut Clark
@forlich Great vid short. How do you find these things?
I’m running low on Clack’s wines in my cellar. Wine sounds real interesting. Definitely in!
Cheers,
Scott
@ScottHarveyWine You’ll love this stuff, Scott. Let me know your impressions. And definitely check out the Spotify playlist I put together last night at www.pairingwineandmusic.com.
@ScottHarveyWine yeah I bought a case myself! Can’t really go wrong with winesmith. I love your wine too!
Nobody close by in Kansas to do a split, soooo, I guess I’ll have to split a case by myself!
@winesmith, Can’t pass up a once-in-a-lifetime offer!! Thanks as always Clark - unbecoming-scarce-bell
@PLSemenza Apparently jack rabbits get horns due to a rare virus. I guess I’ll keep this in mind. Many old vines are afflicted with various viruses and sometimes it’s a good thing.
@winesmith I’m still waiting for homage to be paid to Sandcrabs.
@Mark_L Perhaps an Albarino named Seabreeze…
@PLSemenza Jackalopes are a big deal here in South Dakota, especially at the Wall Drug tourist trap. I’d love to see a WineSmith Jackalope wine!
@coynedj
I still have one of these bumper stickers somewhere.
@winesmith
That could work! But when?..
@Mark_L The problem is finding an afffordable custom crush host for a small lot. Otherwise I’d have to charge $40 for it and it wouldn’t sell.
@coynedj @kawichris650
Heads up! I hear we are definitely going to sell out. Can’t say when…
@winesmith
Okay, who’s got FOMO?
@pseudogourmet98 @winesmith
I had FOMO 10 minutes after it launched.
That map is getting pretty grey, and only 139 cases, surprised it isn’t sold out yet
@winecaseaholic I just came to say the same thing…but I got mine!
I fear I am becoming an elderly cheddar …
@woopdedoo Crumbly, sharp, and studded with crystals?
@klezman like a rind-stone cowboy …
Clark is the MAN!
@winedavid49
Can we make it three?
@rjquillin
Depends on what’s next.
@kawichris650 @rjquillin I think the meh crowd might give
This one a boost.
@rjquillin
I forgot to check until it was sold out…kicking myself.
@kawichris650 @rjquillin @Winedavid49 That cements Sparky’s mead guess ftw.
@kawichris650 @Winedavid49
but not tonight, it’s x-box time
@rjquillin They managed to shoehorn in a couple of mead mentions.
My shipment showed up today in good order.
@stever52 I just got a notice that my shipment was delivered, but I knew that.
My shipment showed up in good condition here in FL!
Mine showed up in NY.
@FritzCat Popped a bottle. Very young, Malbec is doing its part, yeah…about 20% fruit. The PV is doing its part, dry, persistence and tannins. However, it’s thin, disjointed and not a fabulous wine. Can’t wait to try it tomorrow and 5 - 10 years down the road. This wine has great potential.
@FritzCat Keep us posted! I hope it’s better on day 2- that gives an indication of it’s aging potential.
@mrn1 @winesmith Update; Day 2.
Nice nose of warm Eastern/Indian spices…very unusual. Not opaque, but a beautiful deep garnet. The flavors have come together and filled in the mid-palate, maybe a little vegetal. Very Old-World, but no band-aids, dry with fine tannins, and a medium finish. This is one that I’ll lose, and be thrilled to find many years down the road. Truly a Unicorn; Thanks for the opportunity WineSmith.
@FritzCat @winesmith Thanks for the update. I’ll lay mine down for a year before I pop the 1st one, unless Clark suggests otherwise.
@FritzCat @mrn1 Hard to say. I definitely recommend decantive breathing at this stage, but sho’ am good right now. On the other hand, I’m quite sure that when its bottle bouquet is fully developed in five years or so, you will definitely pee your pants. I don’t know how much you have. If it’s a case, I’d certainly advise trying one now.
This was so good! Definitely picked up so much of the dark berry, and rounded tannins is a great way to describe it. It was amazing with a spinach salad with dried cherries and balsamic vinegar! Can’t wait to try a glass with sharp cheddar. I love this
Agree so love this wine! Let breathe for 30-40 mins was great.