Sunday, July 26, 2009 San Francisco Chronicle
California winemakers fall for Mourvedre by
Jon Bonné
..."Mourvedre loyalist like Jared Brandt of Donkey & Goat Winery in Berkeley, who found young head-trained vines in the Sierra foothills. To Brandt, Mourvedre is in a similar spot to Cabernet in the 1960s, "which means that the next 10 years will be really exciting...."
July 2009, The Tasting Panel Magazine
Hot Young Turks by Christopher Sawyer
"...another of Jared's new gems is the 2007 Four Thirteen, a savory red wine made iwth fruit from El Dorado County. This juicy blend of Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache and Counoise is packed with bright flavors of wild berry, ripe nectarine, tangy citrus, allspice, tobacco and a lenghty finish..."
July 2009, Diablo Magazine
Best of the East Bay 2009: Editor pick "Best Urban Winery" by Michaela Jarvis
"...No big Cabs. No buttery Chardonnays. No grapes from the wine mecca to
our north. Really, the beauty of Donkey & Goat Winery is the
individuality of its owners. In 2001, Tracey and Jared Brandt left
high-tech jobs to learn winemaking in France. They make what they like:
Rhône wines with a nuanced balance of fruit and acidity—and the occasional stunning grace note of, say, thyme...."
July 2009, ABC 7 View From the Bay features Diablo Magazine's Best of the East Bay 2009
May/June 2009 , Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar by Josh Raynolds
2006 Syrah Vieilles Vignes Mendocino, 91pts
Inky ruby. Pungent dark berry, cherry pit, cola and cracked pepper scents are classically syrah. Warm, round and gently toasty, offering sweet cassis and blackberry flavors and an undercurrent of brown spices. The peppery quality recurs on the clinging finish. I kept looking for tannins but the deep fruit seems to have sucked them up. Many of these vines date back to at least 1919, and most of the rest were planted in 1948, according to co-owner Tracey Brandt.
2006 Reserve Syrah, Perli Vineyards, Potato Patch Block, Mendocino Ridge, 92-93pts
Opaque ruby. Youthfully brooding aromas of blackcurrant and boysenberry preserves, with exotic vanillin oak and incense qualities adding complexity. Broad and fleshy, with sweet, sharply focused kirsch and dark berry flavors, fully absorbed tannins and a late note of cola. This gained vivacity with air while retaining striking sweetness and depth. Very impressive and sure to age at a snail's pace. This is scheduled to be bottled in June, 2009, after 32 months of elevage.
2006 Chardonnay Brosseau Vineyard Chalone, 90pts
Bright yellow. Intriguing scents of dried lemon rind, pear, smoked meat, pungent herbs and anise. Smells and tastes like an Old World wine, with impressive depth and powerful citrus and orchard fruit flavors complemented by herbs and dried flowers. Smoky hazelnut and macadamia notes carry through the sappy, gently chewy and surprisingly brisk finish. I'd serve this with a roasted bird or funky cheeses.
2005 Reserve Syrah, Brosseau Vineyard Chalone, 92pts
Opaque purple. Highly aromatic nose offers pungent dark berries, fruitcake and cracked pepper. The palate delivers Rhone-like dark berry, cured tobacco and black olive flavors and a slow-building smoky bacon quality. Finishes impressively long and almost shiraz-like in its sweetness and cling, but there's also impressive focus and tension.
May 22, 2009, Wall Street Journal
Donkey & Goat Cameo in a Grenache Tasting with John Brecher and Dottie Gaiter
May 8, 2009, Wine Library TV
Domestic Rosé Tasting with Katie Lee Joel - Episode #673 with Gary Vaynerchuk
Gary says, "This is phenomenal. By far the best wine. And on top of that, one of the better Rosé wines I’ve had in the last three years. Enormous complexity, great balance of acid on the backend. Tastes like crushed berry compote, pure juice. The weight and viscosity in the mouth is so different. This is spectacular!" 91+pts
April 24, 2009, Wall Street Journal
Grenache Enters the Spotlight by John Brecher and Dottie Gaiter
...:"a winery called Donkey & Goat makes a tasty rosé from Grenache Gris, and the one we had in Santa Barbara, Curran Wines 2007, was remarkably focused and intense. The owner and winemaker, Kris Curran, says she made 100 cases of the rosé after tasting the Donkey and Goat version."
December 08, International Wine Review
Wine Reviews and Travels by Mike Potashnik
During a recent visit to California, I stopped off in Berkeley to visit a young and highly promising winery called A Donkey and Goat. This tiny garagiste winery is owned and operated by the husband and wife team of Tracey and Jared Brandt. The Brandts learned their winemaking from Eric Texier, a négoce who produces premium wines from purchased grapes in the Macconais and the Rhone. The winery sources grapes from diverse vineyards in the Sierra Foothills of El Dorado, Anderson Valley, Mendocino Ridge , McDowell Valley and the Chalone appellation. The wines are hand crafted with attention to detail. They are terroir-driven with both personality and balance. The winery produces about 2000 cases annually and the following are my notes from the wonderful wines I was able to taste.
A Donkey and Goat 2006 Vielle Vignes Mendocino Ridge ($37) 92pts A wine sourced from up to 100-year old high altitude field blends of Syrah and Petite Sirah. Exhibits an opaque ruby purple color and aromas of black fruit, minerals, black pepper and violets. Rich and flavorful spicy black fruit on the palate with a silky smooth mouthfeel, mature tannins with some grip, and a long satisfying finish. A terrific wine that will likely improve with age.
A Donkey and Goat 2006 Fenaughty Vineyard Syrah, El Dorado ($35) 90pts Opaque ruby with attractive aromas of plum and blackberry fruit, violets and black pepper. Lush mouthfeel with ripe juicy black fruit, excellent balance, rounded tannins, and a long lasting finish. A beautiful wine.
A Donkey and Goat 2006 Three Thirteen, California ($35) 88pts A blend of Syrah, Mouvedre and Grenache. Medium dark ruby purple in color with spicy strawberry and red fruit aromas. Fresh and flavorful with ripe red and black fruit on the palate including notes of pepper and spice. This is lovely and versatile wine which you would enjoy with bistro food.
A Donkey and Goat 2005 Syrah Reserve Brosseau Vineyard Chalone ($55) 91 Opaque ruby purple. Reveals aromas of high-toned black fruit and toasty oak. It spends 36 months in 2-year old oak barrels and is silky smooth on the palate with ripe concentrated black fruit flavors and black pepper notes. The wine reveals purity of fruit, elegance and balance with ripe gripping tannins on the finish.
Donkey and Goat 2007 Tamaraindo Rousanne, El Dorado ($26) 88 Yellow gold. Aromas of white peach with a citrus note. Rich and flavorful on the attack, with less intensity of fruit on the mid-palate, and good balance and acidity on the finish. A wine showing freshness and delicacy and is a welcome new white Rhone-style wine.
November/December 2008, Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
Focus on the Central Coast by Josh Raynolds
2006 Fenaughty Vineyard Syrah, El Dorado: Inky ruby. Classic syrah aromas of red and dark berries, violet, anise and cracked pepper. Juicy and fresh, offering vibrant blackberry and candied plum flavors, with a jolt of pepper on the back. Gains sweetness on the lively, long finish. I really like this wine's balance and precision. 91 pts
2006 Three Thirteen, California: (a blend of syrah, mourvedre and grenache) Bright red. Spicy red berries and cherry on the nose, with suave floral, herbal and Asian spice qualities adding complexity. Fresh red berry flavors are framed by dusty tannins and given a tangy edge by bitter berry skin and peppery herbs. Fresh, brisk and refreshing, with good closing snap. Imagine a cross between pinot noir and high-quality Cotes du Rhone. Just over 92% of this fruit is from El Dorado; the rest comes from Chalone. 89 pts
2007 Tamarindo Roussanne, El Dorado: (12.8% alcohol) Silver-yellow. Dried lime, pear and beeswax on the nose, with a suave floral honey undertone. Energetic citrus and orchard fruit flavors are complicated by smoky minerals and bitter pear skin. Becomes sweeter and deeper on the finish, which features juicy mango and white peach qualities while maintaining focus. This is lovely right now. 90 pts
July 4, 2008, East Bay Business Times
Start up wineries: New East Bay ventures discover tactics for success by Mike White
"Although they may live in urban modern-day Berkeley, husband-and-wife team Tracey and Jared Brandt
make wine with an old-world feel. The couple created A Donkey and Goat Winery after traveling to France
in 2001 to train under traditional winemakers, a path that differed from many other would-be winemakers
who have enrolled in prolonged education programs at UC-Davis, where most California winemakers get their
training..."
June 8, 2008, NBC's In Wine Country
June 2008, Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
A speical online report by Josh Raynolds,"Focus on Rose"
2007 Isabel's Cuvee Grenache Rose, McDowell Valley: Bright medium pink. Ripe red berry and cherry aromas are complicated by baking spices and dried flowers. Deep, chewy red fruit and bitter orange flavors are firmed by juicy acidity, which carries into the long, spicy finish. This fleshy, substantial rose is concentrated enough to handle grilled birds or strong cheeses. 89
May 21, 2008, Wilmington Star News
Winemaker returns home - to show us how it's done , By Liz Biro
"A marketing whiz kid is how most people would remember Tracey Brandt when she attended UNCW in the late '80s and early '90s. Back then, she was Tracey Rogers, a smart, young woman on a fast track to the frenzied world of advertising. And that's exactly where she landed, but not for long. In 2002, Tracey Rogers chucked her career and moved to France with her boyfriend, Jared Brandt, to learn how to make wine the natural way. Now she's coming home to show the old neighborhood how she's changed..."
May 14, 2008, Salt Lake CIty Tribune
Utah-born vintner brings fruit of Rhone-honed skills back home, By Kathy Stephenson
"No one from East High School's graduating class of 1989 would have predicted that classmate Jared Brandt's future would involve cases of wine.
Legal cases would have made more sense. But Brandt, along with his wife, Tracey, are up-and-coming California winemakers. This year, their winery, quirkily named A Donkey and Goat, produced 1,600 cases of wine including a syrah, a syrah blend, a chardonnay and a rosé..."
February 8, 2008, Daily Candy, San Francisco Edition
In a Word: kickass.
"...Husband-and-wife team Jared and Tracey Brandt turn out small cases of sustainably produced Rhone varietals from the Sierra Foothills and Anderson Valley the Old World way. That means they don’t rely on science for a “perfect” blend, they crush grapes with their feet, and they get their friends to help come harvest time.
The result: seriously good vino. The Three Thirteen (a blend of syrah, mourvèdre, and grenache) varietal has already been winning raves..."
December 2007, Robert M. Parker Jr.'s The Wine Advocate, Issue 174
2005 Fenaughty Vinyeard Syrah, 90pts: The 2005 Syrah Fenaughty Vineyard exhibits loads of blueberry and blackberry fruit intermixed with meaty, black olive, and pepper notes. Surprisingly silky-textured, opulent, fleshy, and seductive, it will provide pleasure over the next 5-6 years.
2005 Syrah Vieilles Vignes, 89pts: Another elegant offering is the 2005 Syrah Vieilles Vignes. Good acidity as well as attractive raspberry, blueberry, spring flower, and bay leaf notes are present in this mid-weight, stylish, authoritatively flavored Syrah. Drink it over the next 5-6 years.
2006 Chardonnay Brosseau Vineyard, Chalone, 88pts: The medium-bodied, Chablis-styled 2006 Chardonnay Brosseau Vineyard offers aromas and flavors of lemon oil, nectarine, and wet rocks. Drink it over the next several years.
October 10, 2007, Conde Nast Portfolio.com
Wine and the city by Mickey Butts
"...As the morning fog begins to burn off, winemaker Tracey Brandt punches her forklift under a large plastic container filled with syrah grapes, hauled in the day before from the foothills of California’s Sierra Nevada. She moves the grapes over to a stainless-steel chute, where volunteers pick spiders and debris from the small, intensely blue-purple fruit before sliding the bunches down into the destemming machinery... "
September 30, 2007, Oakland Magazine
Uncorked by Wanda Hennig
Wineries and Wine Tasting in Oakland? You Bet—thanks to an eclectic
bunch of East Bay artisanal winemakers
"...Brandt makes wine with his wife, Tracey, under the label A Donkey and Goat, named for the animals
they saw each day while interning for a year at a winery in France. The Brandts started from their garage with 400 cases in 2003 and are up this year to 1,200
cases..."
September 19, 2007, Contra Costa Times
Taking it to the streets by Jessica Yadegaran
Urban wineries show soul, not soil
The Naturalist, A Donkey and Goat Winery
"...In the Rhone, the Brandts followed the principles of biodynamic and traditional farming, and have incorporated
some of these older and sustainable practices into their winemaking. They rarely inoculate their wines with yeast. For their
Chardonnay, they pick twice, once in July and again in August, to utilize that early natural acid and avoid adding artificial acid later...."
May 18, 2007,Imbibe
Syrah in the City by Richard Reynolds
Urban wine makers set up shop in the industrial parks of San Francisco's East
Bay
"...On the asphalt outside Berkeley’s A Donkey and Goat winery, 35-year-old owner
Jared Brandt is scooping grapes out of a 500-liter wooden barrel. His wife,
Tracey, is moving more barrels around with a forklift, and several friends are
helping out. Today they’re pressing their 2006 syrah, an elegant, medium-bodied
wine made with grapes trucked in from Broken Leg Vineyard..." Read more
April 2007, Oakland Magazine
Going Natural by Laurie Daniel
Berkeley Winery Tries Eco-Friendly Approach
"For Jared and Tracey Brandt, owners and winemakers of A Donkey and Goat winery in Berkeley, green practices begin in the vineyard. The couple got much of their winemaking training by working for Eric Texier, a vintner in France’s Rhône Valley who works with grape growers committed to low yields and natural farming methods. So when the Brandts got started—their first commercial harvest was 2004—they followed Texier’s example."
March 15, 2007, Appellation America Wine Recommendation
by Laurie Daniel
2005 Brosseau Vineyard Chardonnay, Chalone
"Jared and Tracey Brandt of A Donkey and Goat winery in Berkeley have a very European sensibility when it comes to wine. For one thing, they are very particular about the acidity in their wines. That’s led to an unusual method for making this Chardonnay from the Chalone AVA.
They love the minerality they get from the Brosseau Vineyard, but they found that the acid levels in the grapes would drop before the flavors were mature. Rather than just add acidity in the winery, they devised an ingenious process: Right after veraison, long before the grapes are ripe, they harvest 2 to 3 percent of the crop. They press the grapes – which is difficult, because the grapes at the level of development are on the hard side – then refrigerate the very tart juice (which is like verjus used in cooking) until the rest of the crop can be harvested. The tart juice is blended in before fermentation. The resulting wine, which sells for $40, is lean, racy and Chablis-like, with lemon and mineral flavors. It’s still very tight and would benefit from more time in the bottle."
January/February 2007, Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
2005 Chardonnay Brosseau Vineyard, Chalone: Peach Skin Color. Pear, melon, lemon ice tea, incence and a leesy nuance on the nose. Juicy on entry, then nicely concentrated and rich in extract, although the wine’s saline character and edge of lemony acidity are not currently in harmony. Finishes quite dry, with an impression of solidity. 88
December 26, 2006, Robert M. Parker Jr.'s The Wine Advocate
2005 Chardonnay Brosseau Vineyard, Chalone, 88
2005 Syrah Broken Leg Vineyard, Anderson Valley, 89
2005 Three Thirteen, California, 87
These interesting as well as creatively packaged wines are all very good. The 2005 Brosseau Chardonnay is surprising light for a wine from this vineyard. Made in a Chablis-like style, it offers notes of orange blossoms, citrus, and lemon with the oak clearly pushed to the background. Enjoy this attractive Chardonnay over the next several years. An hommage to Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the 2005 Three Thirteen is a blend of Syrah, Mourvèdre and Grenache. The name reflects the three varietals this estate uses as opposed to the thirteen grapes permitted in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. A Rhône Valley-like bouquet of strawberries, cherries, peppers, herbs, lavender and spice emerge from this straight forward red. Consume it over the next 2-3 years. The best in this group appears to be the 2005 Syrah Broken Leg Vineyard. From a cool Anderson Valley site, it exhibits plenty of blueberry, raspberry, sweet cherry, floral, and spice characteristics. Pure, medium-bodied, elegant and authoritatively flavored, it will drink well for 5-6 years.
November 10 , 2006, San Francisco Chronicle
East Bay rising, by W. Blake Gray
"Forget bucolic hills with neat rows of grapevines and breezy summer days far from traffic. To make wine, you need to buy grapes from Wine Country, but you don't have to live there. There's a bustling urban wine scene developing in the East Bay, with wineries nestled into warehouses beside factories and tasting rooms accessible by BART and commuter ferry."
September 29 , 2006, The Wall Street Journal
TASTINGS by Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher
American Syrah Makes A Name for Itself
A Donkey and Goat 'Vidmar Vineyard' 2004 (Yorkville Highlands): Blackberries, pepper and earth. Great fruit. Nicely balanced, with a medium weight. More drinkable, less intense than some.
September 25, 2006, Grape Radio
Urban Wineries
"Grape Radio sits in with Michael Brill (CrushPad), Tracey Brandt (A Donkey and Goat), Sasha Verhage (Eno), and Andrew Vingiello (AP Vin), four urban winemakers from the Bay Area, to discuss how they got started, and the advantages and disadvantages of making their wines in the big city."
February 17, 2006, The Wall Street Journal
TASTINGS by Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher
Taking Sides in the Butter Battle
"Tracey Brandt was literally speechless for sevearl seconds before explaining that she and her husband-partner don't like buttery Chardnonnays and didn't make one. Chablis is my inspiration …"
January/February 2006, Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar
A Donkey and Goat 2004 Syrah Vidmar Vineyard Yorkville Highlands($32): Full red-ruby. Nose shows sassafras, earth, sweet oak and an almost confectionary cherry element. Sweet, spicy and very New World in style, with flavors of cherry, raspberry and cola. The impression of sweetness lasts through the richly oaky finish but is supported throughout by freshness. Only a building element of oaky torrefaction kept this wine below 90 points. 89. 2004 Syrah Carson Ridge El Dorado ($32): Reticent aromas of marachino cherry, incense and herbs. A sappy, concentrated fruit bomb on the palate, with intriguing nuances of juniper and wild herbs adding interest to the intense cherry flavor. Not at all overly sweet. Finishes with dusty wood tannins and very good length. 89. 2004 Syrah Vieilles Vignes McDowell Valley ($34): Bright ruby-red. Musky aromas of meat, cedar and espresso. Supple and lush, with varietally typical dark berry flavors. This comes across a bit less complex and delineated than the Vidmar or Carson Ridge bottlings but it's the biggest and most pliant of these three 2004 syrah release. Finishes with a flavor of jammy blackberry. 88
December 26, 2005, Robert M. Parker Jr.'s The Wine Advocate
A Donkey and Goat 2004 Syrah Carson Ridge El Dorado 89
A Donkey and Goat 2004 Vidmar Vineyard Yorkville Highlands 90
A Donkey and Goat 2004 Syrah Vieilles Vignes McDowell Valley 88
These three excellent, heady 2004 Syrahs are made in an up-front juicy, immediate gratifying style. The 2004 Syrah Carson Ridge shows excellent gamey, blackberry fruit notes intermixes with pepper and soil undertones. It is medium-bodied, supple,and best drunk over the next 3-4 years. Slightly deeper and fuller-bodied, with more definition as well as abundant fruit is the 2004 Syrah Vidmar Vineyard. It offers plenty of blackberry and peppery notes, sweet oak, and loads of fruits. Enjoy it over the next 5-7 years. With more blueberry characteristics in its cooler-climate personality, the 2004 Syrah Vieilles Vignes reveals a deep runy/purple color, medium body, elegant blue and red fruits, and a clean, well-defined finish. It should drink well for 3-4 years.
December 2005, California Wine and Food Magazine
Rhone Varietal Harvest Bears Fruit
"While some of those lower yields can be attributed to shatter, Tracey Brandt from A Donkey and Goat Winery said that their Mendocino County Syrah was off by 50% this year, not just because of weather, but because a bear ate over a half ton of the fruit…”
June 17, 2005, KQED's Food Blog, Bay Area Bites
Donkeys and Goats
"Keep your eyes out for this young winery; Tracey and Jared are not only knowledgeable and passionate about what they are doing, but they are already producing some fantastic wines."
June 16, 2005, Alameda Sun
Mexican Food with Wine? Fine. By Gil Michaels
"The plato: Juanita’s Combination No. H: A chicken flauta and a chile verde burrito. The wine: A Donkey and Goat Grenache-Gris Rosé 2004, McDowell Valley. Stunning shades of strawberry, medium-bodied, medium-dry. Cherry, berry and toast aromas frolic in the glass like the Munchkins from the Lollipop Guild. Flavors of getting a passionate lip-lock from a giant love-struck strawberry. Oy, mamacita! Drink more rosé!"
April 13,2005, Piedmont Post
California's Syrah - the next big thing
"This small Berkeley based winery buys grapes from around the state and lovingly vinifies them into exquisite French styled Syrahs. This wine has the elegance, finesse and perfumed nose of a good Côte Rôtie for half the price."
July 21, 2004, Oakland Tribune
Winemaking for the Common Throng, by Stett Holbrook
"Now, Brandt and her husband Jared, are prepared to give up the comfort of a double income for the uncertain world of winemaking. Who needs good clothes anymore? Lets just make wine."