Birichino is a boutique winery based in Santa Cruz, California, renowned for crafting expressive, terroir-driven wines from old vines and lesser-known varietals. Founded in 2008 by Alex Krause and John Locke, both seasoned winemakers with extensive experience in California and abroad, Birichino (meaning “mischievous” in Italian) embodies a spirit of creativity and exploration.
On the nose, vibrant aromas of ripe cherry, boysenberry, and cola intermingle with delicate floral notes and a whisper of candied violet. The palate is lively and precise, offering layered red and blue fruit flavours wrapped in fine tannins and lifted by bright acidity. Subtle accents of allspice, liquorice, and cracked pepper build through the mid-palate, leading to a long, energetic finish that echoes the wine’s spicy and mineral nuances.
The historic vineyard from which this comes from, planted in 1922 by an Italian bootlegger, is rooted in gravelly loam soils and has been continuously farmed by the Besson family since 1925. The proximity to Monterey Bay, just 12 miles west, imparts a cooling marine influence, contributing to the wine’s vibrant acidity and nuanced flavour profile.