2025 Big Tar, Sangiovese, Mesa del Sol Vineyard, Arroyo Seco AVA, Monterey County.
Only two 500L Puncheons were made of this deep purple/garnet Mesa del Sol Sangiovese, by winemaker Aaron Watty of Big Tar Wine Company, that shows off youthful and chewy Tuscan style flavors, with blackberry, wild plum, black cherry, spicy brambly raspberry and Modena balsamic dipped strawberry fruits, along with woody briar, savory cigar wrapper, minty sage, acacia, incense, anise, laurel and sandalwood notes. This is impressive stuff that will certainly get better with another year or so, with a full bodied mouth feel and some sold tannins here, making this fresh Sangiovese sing with a steak Florentine, a rack of lamb, and or hard pecorino cheese. There’s a clarity, fruit driven core and crispness of detail that might give this wine away as Californian, but it is seriously good stuff and potentially with time could evolve some more rustic authentic character and honestly it gives many a Rosso di Montalcino or Chianti Classico a solid run for the money. Sangiovese, and Tempranillo, have been tough in California, still making some excellent examples, but it is hard to match the original terroirs for excitement and value, so I must really praise Watty for what he has turned out with this new release. Big Tar Wine Co has so far flown under the radar, as most all the bottles of prior vintages have gone to Aaron’s personal mailing list and wine insider friends, but I think the secret will definitely get out and this wine, especially will appeal to a bigger audience and I think it would be a great wine for Italian themed restaurants, as like its Tuscan cousins it needs food to show its best.
The Big Tar Wine Co label is a tiny production and limited release side adventure for winemaker Aaron Watty, who is in his day job the assistant winemaker at Joyce Winery in Arroyo Seco and who has years of experience in the Santa Barbara wine scene. Watty, with his decades long love of fine dinning and wine, having worked at the Wine Cask and many other top foodie spots from New York City to Lake Tahoe, and beyond, became inspired and fascinated by Tuscan reds when he happened upon an early nineties bottle of Isole e Olena Cepparello. This wine has stuck with him and formed his idea of how a pure Sangiovese could be something extraordinary and has led him on his own pursuit in winemaking, and this one is the latest part of that journey as he explores way to express this grape. The Mesa del Sol Vineyard, with its unique protected sub climate, elevation and stony soils and ripe exposure make it nicely suited to capture Sangiovese in its best form and this 2025 vintage allowed for full ripening of the fickle Sangiovese, while retaining the classic acidity, ending at 14.3% natural alcohol, that delivers richness and a fine balance. These sustainable hand tended vines brought Watty some of the nicest clusters and berries he’s worked with and he, as he says, tried hard not mess up what nature gave him! The grapes were carefully de-stemmed and cold soaked for days before going through a natural yeast fermentation with lengthy extraction and maceration. Once dry, the juice was put into used French oak casks, mentioned above and rested for close to 10 months. This upcoming release, which I luckily got a chance to try a few times now, is only going out to Watty’s followers, So if this wine intrigues you look him up on Instagram and drop him a line there to reserve your bottles.
($42 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive