I recently had the pleasure to dining at a restaurant with a creative, youthful wine list. One of the bottles I order was the 2016 Idlewild The Bird. That turned out to be my favorite wine of the evening.
Idlewild is the brainchild of Owner/Winemaker Sam Bilbro who made the prestigious Wine Enthusiast 40 Under 40 list in 2017. Idlewild is an Italian-inspired portfolio of wines primarily sourced from Mendocino County’s Fox Hill Vineyard (some also comes from Sonoma). Bilbro’s passion for the wines of Northern Italy’s Piedmont region have translated to the growing of unusual-for-California Italian grape.
This is a very food-friendly wine and I primarily ordered it to pair with several dishes we were sampling. Was outstanding with my lamb dish. This wine is affordable enough to be a weeknight go-to wine…if you can find it.
860 cases produced.
Looks: Medium red in the glass.
Smell: Ripe cherries, wood strawberries, wet earth.
Taste: Flavors of cherry, ripe raspberries with earthy and leather notes.
Texture and Finish: Light and fresh with some tannins on the finish.
Pairings: Very food friendly: Lamb, roast chicken, grilled salmon, light red sauce pasta
Style: Red Wine
Grape Type(s): 39% Barbera, 28.5% Nebbiolo, 26% Dolcetto, 4% Grignolino, and 2.5% Freisa
Region: Mendocino County California, USA
Price: $25
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