Bandolero

Single vineyard, biodynamically grown Mourvèdre from Alisos Canyon

"Bandolero" is an homage to the wine growing region of Bandol, France… with a California accent.

Bandol is what we call France's "other Big B" besides Burgundy and Bordeaux. It is located in Provence on the Mediterranean coast, and it is where Mourvèdre is king.

But since Centralas' Mourvèdre is grown and made in California, where the vines hear much more Spanish than French spoken to them, we wanted its name to be true to its current tierra.

Bandolero means "Outlaw." Adam has been a literal outlaw, and being an outlaw led to his love of wine... but that's a story he'd have to tell you in person.

Outlaws are some of our heroes. People who did what was right, even if it went against the flow or the norms for their times. Sometimes you can become an outlaw just by being born in the wrong place or time. Sometimes you have to be an outlaw to be able to create meaning in the face of a vain and materialistic society. If your culture's highest value is business, sometimes you have to be an outlaw just to be human.

Mourvèdre loves heat and dryness. It is ideally suited to the interior of Santa Barbara County where summer lasts into November, and where the biodynamically-farmed vineyards, from which we source the grapes, thrive. It is a grape well suited to climate change.

We love Mourvèdre's unique ability to make black wines that are deep and dark without being ponderous, that have weight without heaviness, that are both layered and lithe.

In 2019 we intended to make wine from Mourvèdre but were unable to find any available that was organically or biodynamically grown. Finally, we were offered some late-season, certified biodynamically-farmed Mourvèdre. Harvested a month after our other picks of Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Grenache, the Mourvèdre was still not over-ripe. The black grapes were hand-picked, de-stemmed, and allowed to go through fermentation naturally with native/ambient yeasts and microbes. Aged for 18 months in 2 oak barrels - half of that time in 1 new American oak barrel and 1 neutral barrel, and the remainder of the time in all neutral - for a distinctively Californian accent. During winemaking we only added a minimal effective amount of sulfites and tartaric acid to protect the freshness and stability of the wine.

Bandolero technically meets the major requirements of Mourvèdre wines made in Bandol, namely that it spends 18 months in barrel, and a maximum 95% Mourvèdre is used in the finished wine (we blended in 5% Syrah). We've tasted this wine in barrel, and it is exceptional. We think it will appeal especially to those with a love of Napa Cabernet - texturally plush and complex with juicy blue & black fruit, notes of licorice, violets, and truffle, and pronounced sweet oak flavors. Alcohol 13.7% - Less than 50 cases made.