Helping Summer Arrive

In mythology, a Banshee is a spirit, usually seen as an omen of death and a messenger from the underworld. Forget mythology; In California, a Banshee is a great new wine.

Banshee Wines was founded by three friends from the Midwest and East Coast who shared a passion for wine and a lifelong dream of owning their own winery. Their  fascination with wine started early in life. While their peers were drinking Milwaukee's Best, they had an affinity towards collecting European wines and hosting dorm room wine tastings. Post-college, each pursued a career in the wine industry, ranging from importing wines, to winemaking, to distribution and sales. When their paths ultimately converged in San Francisco, they shared many meals, bottles of wine, concerts, and laughs with one another. In 2009 they pooled their money together to make the first vintage of Banshee Wines Pinot Noir, which sold out in three short months. By the end of the year, Banshee Wines was their full-time pursuit.

The Banshee guys are passionate about creating benchmark wines from California’s iconic vineyards as well as crafting soulful blends that don't break the bank. When they’re not making wine you can find them preparing grand multi-course meals, sabering Champagne bottles, seeking out the nearest swimming hole, or dancing on tabletops. Classic guy activities.

Pinot Noir in the vineyard

2013 was a great year for making rosé and we suspect 2014 will be an even better year for drinking it.  The vintage offered Pinot Noir possessing nuanced layers of fruit and great tension, enabling Banshee to make the kind of lively, pale, fragrant and vivacious rosé that we all love.  It is an absolute knockout successor to the previous vintage (which is still tasting wonderful one year later).

The 2013 certainly benefited from Banshee's expanded vineyard sourcing.  It contains elements of 10 different Sonoma Coast vineyards including all of their single vineyard sources.  The wine was created using about 50% saignée and 50% direct to press methods. 90% of the wine was fermented and aged in stainless steel while the remainder was aged in neutral white wine barrels giving us a nice textural component.

Tasting Notes

Once again this is a wine of flirtatious hints.  The flavors are all early spring freshness as opposed to mid-summer lushness.  White flowers and apricot blossom aromas lead into kumquat, wild mountain strawberry, stone fruit and mint flavors all riding atop a pringly spine of acidity.  Open bottles disappear quickly. Only $17.96 in the Bottle Club®.