the wines/los vinos/les vins

2017 Sit In The Sun
Muscadelle, Sonoma Valley

The 2017 Sit In The Sun is 100% Muscadelle from vines planted in 1920 in Sonoma Valley.  Little known or planted in California, Muscadelle is a white french variety mostly found in Bordeaux, France and the Rutherglen region of Australia (where it goes into a fortified sweet wine).  The grapes for this dry wine come from the northern end of the Sonoma Valley.  The wine was fermented in stainless steel and aged for 8 months in stainless steel barrels and 7 months in well-seasoned French oak.  

Tasting Notes: Aromas of lemon, lime, honeysuckle, and brioche carry over onto the palate and are joined by hints of grapefruit, nutmeg, and almond. Light to medium bodied, the wine finishes crisply but still lingers softly on the palate. 

Accolades: 90 points from Wine Enthusiast: "This unusual white tastes of honeydew and dried apricot, with a mighty floral characteristic that adds to its appeal. Viscous and waxy, it has an exotic and old-world flair of moderate acidity and balanced body weight."

​The Numbers:  pH: 3.33  /  TA:  6.2 g/L  /  Alcohol: 13.5%  /  100 cases produced  /  Drink now through 2024
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Bottling Date: February 22, 2018

Retail Price: $18.  CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE.

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2017 Near to the Wild Heart
Syrah, Russian River Valley

The 2017 Near to the Wild Heart Syrah comes from a hillside vineyard planted in the north-east corner of the Russian River Valley.  The grapes were hand-harvested at the peak of ripeness and fermented in an open-top fermenter allowing for punchdowns by hand and gentle pumpovers. After more than four weeks in tank, the wine was pressed in a basket press and then transferred to French and Hungarian oak barrels, 1/3 new, for aging for 16 months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Tasting Notes: Our 2017 Near to the Wild Heart shows a complex nose of wild blueberries and blackberries framed by hints of baking spices, smoke, and bacon fat.  Not a monster on the palate, it is medium to full bodied with firm, lingering tannins accentuating notes of dark fruit, plum sauce, and grilled meat. Enjoy it over the next dozen years.

Accolades: 91 points from Wine Enthusiast (description coming in November issue)

​The Numbers:  pH: 3.7  /  TA:  5.5 g/L  /  Alcohol: 14.8%  /  100 cases produced  /  Drink now through 2031

Bottling Date: February 22, 2019

Retail Price: $30. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE.

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2018 One Fine Morning
Zinfandel, Russian River Valley

The 2018 One Fine Morning was made from Zinfandel rather the Dolcetto grape we used last year.  But it is not the typical Zinfandel.  It comes from the Battaglini vineyard (planted in 1885) in the Piner-Olivet region of the Russian River Valley.  Like last year's version, the 2018 One Fine Morning was produced via carbonic maceration. Carbonic maceration starts with whole grape clusters in an oxygen-free environment (for me a couple of stainless steel barrels) and typically produces a light, fruity wine.  The grapes for the One Fine Morning spent about three weeks in these stainless steel barrels before they were pressed and allowed to finish fermentation off of their skins.  The wines then rested in the same stainless steel barrels before being bottled just 4 months later.

Tasting Notes:  The nose bursts with strawberry, cranberry, herbes de Provence, and black pepper. Light bodied, the palate is structured by light, fine tannins and bright acidity.  Give it a slight chill and enjoy it with Thanksgiving Dinner - it goes with everything.

​The Numbers:  pH: 3.5  /  TA:  6.0 g/L  /  Alcohol: 14.8%  /  Only 30 cases produced  /  Drink over the next few years

Bottling Date: February 22, 2019

Retail Price: $25. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE.



WHEN YOUR ORDER SHIPS YOU WILL RECEIVE AN EMAIL WITH TRACKING INFO. PLEASE CLICK ON AND READ THE SHIPPING INFO IN YOUR SHOPPING CART AS IT EXPLAINS THAT THESE SHIPMENTS WILL REQUIRE AN ADULT SIGNATURE SO YOU SHOULD PLAN ACCORDINGLY. MAKE SURE YOU GET THEM SO YOU CAN ENJOY THEM!

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our story/nuestra historia/notre histoire

I founded Whipsmart Wine Company in 2015 to further hone my craft and to provide people with interesting wines from some of the finest vineyards of California.  

My journey through winemaking is a relatively young one. In a previous life I worked as an attorney at a "white shoe" law firm in Washington, DC. In 2010 I made the decision to leave the life of an attorney and follow a dream to make wine. That dream took me to Australia and South Africa, eventually setting me here in Sonoma County. During that time I have had the opportunity to meet wonderful people, learn from top-notch winemakers, and work with some of California’s greatest vineyards.  

While I traded in my suits and dress shoes for cargo pants and work boots, the lessons of my former life remain. Most important was the lesson that the little things matter. The difference between a good wine and a great wine is often the care and attention paid. Excellent grapes don’t automatically result in excellent wine but require a nurturing hand from someone who is acutely aware of the process and makes dozens or hundreds of decisions, both small and large. In that regard, I start with the best and most interesting grapes I can find (and afford) and listen to what they have to say. When the grapes come into the winery they whisper at what they can become. They hint at a number of possibilities — some desirable and some quite undesirable. I strive to hear the grapes and to use my skill to create what, to me, is the best possible wine.

My day jobs at some of California's finest wineries, in addition to providing me with an unparalleled education in winemaking, tickled my creative self by showing me the sheer quality of old-vine fruit available in the state. Intrepid farmers have been planting vineyards in California since the mid-1800s. Those vineyards that have survived suburban sprawl, replanting, and pressure from more lucrative crops (some recently made legal in the state) are the wine industry's living heritage. There is a reason that these vineyards have survived to this day -- the quality of fruit from those vines is excellent. And most importantly, they make delicious and distinctive wine.

You may notice that, except for the story on this page, I use the term “we” and “our” when discussing the wines and winemaking. I do this because winemaking is a collective endeavor. Someone scouted the site of the vineyard and prepared the land many years ago. Someone else probably planted and nurtured the vines over the years. A vineyard team pruned and tended the vines leading up to harvest. A collective decision was made about when picking could and should happen. A group of hard working individuals did the back-breaking work of hand picking the grapes. The grapes were sorted and fermentation tended to by a dedicated team. The lab folks at ETS did the analysis that informed my decisions. Etc. I hope you get the point. For anyone to call a wine exclusively “his” or “hers” is the height of narcissism.

So you are welcomed to join us on this journey through winemaking.  We hope to make it a delicious one!!

Phillip Dube, Owner & Winemaker
Whipsmart Wine Company
17 Payran Street
Petaluma, CA  94952
(707) 703-9271
phillip@whipsmartwine.com
​www.whipsmartwine.com

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