LLEWELYN WINE

Cloverdale, CA

We first started seeing Pete Bloomberg’s Llewelyn label appear at various bars and shops on the west coast a couple of years ago. Folks whose opinions and taste we trust kept talking about the wines and the guy behind them.  

The curiosities behind the wines: non-“traditional” blends, the use of fruit, labels straight out of Spinal Tap, etc, gave way to total adoration, and they quickly achieved auto-order status whenever we spotted them on a list.

There are a lot of aspects of Llewelyn that fluctuate year over year, including the range of wines, but a few things remain constant. First, the wines are never sulfured, fined, filtered, or generally messed with. Second, almost all of the grapes are from organic (and many regenerative) vines from Mendocino county. A few parcels from the Sierras and Sonoma County have made their way into the wines, but Mendocino remains the focus. Finally, although the range varies year-over-year, Pete always makes a red wine called Juvinilia, whose own makeup can vary, although it’s typically made in the style of a bistro-friendly red blend.

It’s hard to write about wine - particularly those you adore - without falling into cliches. That said, Pete’s wines do elicit a sense of emotion rarely felt, particularly from California. They are not glou glou, but they are not un-fun, overly serious or naval-gazey. They are first and foremost delicious wines of emotion that we love to drink. Seriously fun wines made by one of the most solid dudes you’ll ever meet.