Grackle Wine Co.

Are you old enough for this ride?  Must be 21+.

grack·le
| \ ˈgra-kəl \ |
noun
  1. a relentlessly loud, highly opportunistic omnivore known to cheerfully feast on acorns, frogs, or even trash — often taken directly from the ground or another bird's mouth.
  2. nature's unapologetically adaptable, thrive-anywhere mobster; an entity built to aggressively thrive on chaos, capitalize on dropped crumbs, and take whatever comes its way without asking.
plague \ ˈplāg \ n. pl. : a group of grackles ⟨a plague settled over the vineyard at dusk⟩
Grackle Wine Co. 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon bottle, St. Helena, Napa Valley
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The Wine

2023 Vintage — Inaugural Release

Cabernet Sauvignon grapes at harvest, River Run Vineyard

Tasting Notes

We made this wine to be structured, but not heavy.  The target was a wine strong enough to stand up to a smoked brisket, but something that doesn't knock you on your ass after a glass or two.  And enough acid to bring balance to the ripe cabernet fruit.  In a nutshell, that means Cherry Coke and cassis on the nose, giving way to pencil shavings and toasty oak that doesn't overwhelm the fruit.

What We're About

This is a wine brought to you by the workers of the wine industry — not those using their oil or AI cash to buy a trophy plot of land and cosplay as the gentleman farmer (plenty of other brands to choose if that's what you're after).  Making this wine wasn't a self-congratulatory medal, but the result of a decade-plus of learning through doing.  And we're bringing it to you without the middlemen and retailer markup.  It ain't cheap, but it's made well and farmed transparently.  Hell, if you live within 75mi of Napa, Alex or Jenny will deliver your order themselves: how's that for no middle man?

River Run Vineyard — St. Helena

Our cab comes from a single organically-farmed block that sits on the border of the St. Helena and Rutherford AVAs (we couldn't have afforded this fruit if it was labeled "Rutherford" on the tin, so you're getting a great deal on Rutherford-esque juice).  Our viticulture guy tells us the site shows "stratified river alluvium" — basically, gravelly well-draining soil deposited by running water over millennia.  It stresses the vines and makes them work harder and grow deeper to find moisture and nutrients, making our berries small and with a high skin-to-flesh ratio producing amazing flavor.  But don't take our word for it: Quintessa and Ehler's also farms this block.

Why Organic

River Run is farmed without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers — and you can taste the difference. Organically farmed vines develop deeper root systems, drawing more complex mineral character from the soil. The natural cover crops between rows build biodiversity that keeps the vineyard in balance, and healthier soil means more resilient vines that express the true character of the site rather than the chemistry of a spray program.

Block map of River Run Vineyard, St. Helena — 6.71 planted acres of Cabernet Sauvignon
The block map — 6.71 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Helena AVA
Varietal
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation
St. Helena, Napa Valley
Farming
Certified Organic. No glyphosates. Good for Mother Earth, good enough for us.
Cooperages
François Frères, Seguin Moreau
Barrels Produced
13
Aging
24 months, 38% new French oak

Our Story

We came into wine
through the side door

Jenny & I aren't trust fund kids.  We weren't handed the reins to a multi-generational winery.  We worked real jobs in wine for the past decade.  This isn't a trophy to cap an achievement, this is a project using the know-how we've learned from a career in wine and food, scraped together using our life savings and leaning on friends from viticulturists to winemakers to marketers to cellarmasters in order to fulfill our dream of creating a wine that speaks to us.

The grackle is an underestimated bird. Common, clever, resourceful — it thrives in places others overlook. That felt right for what we're building: a wine that doesn't need a gentleman farmer or celebrity winemaking consultant at the helm, just real people. Quality in the glass and honesty about how it got there.

Alex at harvest, River Run Vineyard
Jenny in the vine rows at River Run Vineyard

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