Skull Wines 'Sparkling' 2022 (750 ml)

25% Pinot Gris 
25% Sauvignon Blanc
25% Vermentino
25% Verdelho

All fruit sourced from organic vineyards in Lodi and San Benito (Verdelho). Each variety is fermented separately with natural yeasts in a mix of stainless steel and neutral barrels before blending. Matured for 5 months in neutral oak and force carbonated at bottling. 12.5% abv.

When Patrick Cappiello was a sommelier and restauranteur at some of New York’s finest restaurants (Tribeca Grill, Veritas, GILT and Pearl and Ash), he was frustrated by the lack of affordable, varietally honest wines from California. In 2018, he teamed up with longtime friend Pax Mahle, formerly a wine buyer for Dean and Deluca and since 2000, proprietor of Pax Wine, one of the leaders of California’s third wave of wineries. Together they craft beautiful, unmanipulated, terroir-driven wines from organic, family-run vineyards.

The philosophy at Skull Wines is to make hand-crafted wines in the spirit of old California - working with family-owned, organically farmed vineyards and simple winemaking. Spontaneous fermentations take place with whole cluster grapes in stainless steel and concrete, and aging takes place in neutral oak barrels. The goal is to make moderate alcohol, higher acid, and fresh wines, naturally.

Skull Wines is a collaboration of winemakers Patrick Cappiello and Pax Mahle. The wines are unpretentious, affordable and delicious. Each wine is a blend of different grapes made separately by the two winemakers. “Every year we look forward to sitting down and constructing the blends for these wines. It’s a rewarding activity that we take seriously and spend time with. Also it’s got a skull on it, which is bad ass” -Patrick Cappiello

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