Fossil & Fawn "Dark Wave" 2021

Fresh raspberries, wild blueberries, black plums, Branca Menta, wet river rocks and menthol on the nose with an irony/earthy finish. Dark Wave is made as an homage to Bourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains, and the winemakers say it's the best wine they've made. A blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Gamay Noir from Marin Estate Vineyard, the wine is vibrantly dark. A deep, staining purple in the glass, structured and rich but with racy acidity keeping it light on its feet. Notes of violets, bramble fruit, and a distinct ferrous minerality.

Co-fermented entirely whole cluster in boxes designed for the fishing industry (turns out they work really well for wine too), a trick that the winemakers learned from the genius Jesus Guillen. After a week of carbonic maceration, the wine saw daily pumpovers for the next three weeks. Impressive from the beginning of fermentation all the way through its time in barrel, Dark Wave is deeply-pigmented with loads of stemmy structure and rich fruit, held in check with nervy acidity.

Fossil & Fawn started out as an idea in the summer of 2011, and quickly transformed into a much more complex and unbelievably rewarding venture. The winemakers aren't interested in bold manifestos or style declarations -- their goal is to make wines that they like. They’ve found that the kind of wines they like, and thus the wines they make, are executed with a natural approach that allows the vineyard to do the talking.