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Animale

 


Seattle winemaker Matt Gubitosa masterfully blends an academic background (two degrees) in geology with a passion for making intense, highly-extracted red wines. Matt’s approach to winemaking can be aptly described as "pragmatic poetry."

"I love the romance, the alchemy that winemaking can be," said Gubitosa. "But I also scour the Yakima and Columbia valleys to look for vineyards th read more

Animale Reserve Pinot noir 06

Price: $35.95

$32.36 - Any 12 bottles
- regular size (375 or 750 ml)


An Oregon Pinot noir made by a Washington winemaker from fruit sourced from a tiny vineyard in the Yamhill-Cartlon area. The two acres of Pinot grapes at Matt's friend's house produced a possitively dinky harvest- only a quarter of a ton per acr...read more

Animale Syrah 06

Price: $28.95

$26.05 - Any 12 bottles
- regular size (375 or 750 ml)


Brawny and ebullient, with aromas of fresh blackberries, hints of fresh ground peppercorns; a mouthfilling experience of concentrated fruit and spice, with a lingering, tangy finish. A syrah which promises future years as well as immediate enjoyme...read more

Animale Petite Sirah 06

Price: $27.95

$25.16 - Any 12 bottles
- regular size (375 or 750 ml)


The Animale Petite Sirah 06 is another of the unusual varietals Matt Gubiosa finds in Washington and makes into nice wine. Petite Sirah is usually added to Zinfandel to tone down the "jamminess" but Matt makes a 100% Petite Sirah here. Petite Sira...read more

Animale Zinfandel 06

Price: $24.95

$22.45 - Any 12 bottles
- regular size (375 or 750 ml)


Animale Zinfandel is a bit more structured and balanced than the jammy California style....read more

Animale Petit Verdot 06

Price: $29.95

$26.95 - Any 12 bottles
- regular size (375 or 750 ml)


The Animale Petit Verdot is a tiny production specialty of Matt Gubiosa. 46 cases were made. Petit Verdot is a red grape used mostly as part of a "meritage" style big red wine in Washington State. The grape does not always ripen completely and add...read more

Animale Maria Carmela Red Wine 05

Price: $27.95

$25.16 - Any 12 bottles
- regular size (375 or 750 ml)


Parker's Wine Advocate rating 90 points

The 2005 Maria Carmela (58 cases) is 41% Syrah, 35% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot, 8% Sangiovese, and 6% Cabernet Sauvignon. It delivers an attractive perfume of cedar, spice box, tobacco, ...read more

Animale Cabernet Sauvignon 05

Price: $25.95

$23.36 - Any 12 bottles
- regular size (375 or 750 ml)


Animale winemaker Matt Gubitosa makes wines that express the varietal character of the fruit. He's not into lots of toast, or lots of extraction, and sometimes his wines seem quite different from other WA wines from the same varietal.

Animale...read more

 

MORE INFORMATION

Seattle winemaker Matt Gubitosa masterfully blends an academic background (two degrees) in geology with a passion for making intense, highly-extracted red wines. Matt’s approach to winemaking can be aptly described as "pragmatic poetry."

"I love the romance, the alchemy that winemaking can be," said Gubitosa. "But I also scour the Yakima and Columbia valleys to look for vineyards that offer the optimum in soil chemistry, drainage and sun exposure. The bottom line is that grapes are only as good as the ground they come from the ground." Matt’s background in chemistry is also helpful in guiding and monitoring the subtleties of fermentation....what he considers "the magic of winemaking."

Animale label

A ten-year veteran of the Seattle local wine making scene – he’s one of David Lake's Columbia Winery alumni – in his own words, Matt makes "modern red wines dense, dark, full-flavored and full-bodied, dominated by intense fruit, jam and spicy qualities, while true to their varietal character."

Matt's passion for wine and winemaking began at home, part of the rich culinary tradition of his Italian-American family. "Wine was on the dinner table...every night", Matt confesses, "Along with lots of great food. For years during Prohibition, my grandfather made wine at home, supplying family and many friends."

Countering a "Troubling" Trend

Stylistically, Matt strives to counter what he sees as a "troubling trend" in winemaking since the early 1990s: reliance on new oak barrels - which frequently impart flavors of sawdust, charred wood and acrid smoke. "When I taste wine," said Matt, "I don't want to feel like I’m chewing on a baseball bat." By deftly blending barreled wine with that from stainless steel tanks, Matt infuses his varietal and blended wines with "a nuance, an intimation"of french oak.

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