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Josh Hammerling arrived in Berkeley from Fargo, North Dakota, and despite his woeful lack of a Marge Gunderson accent, proceeded to garner an enormous amount of attention in a very short period of time.(Like, e.g., when the SF Chronicle called him your favorite new sparkling winemaker, period.)
Josh launched in West Berkeley's fertile winemaking district as Blue Ox in 2018; his wines are now flying under his own flag of Hammerling Wines.
In only 6 short years, Josh has emerged as a star in the California sparkling wine scene. Think an emerging Ultramarine. These are akin to grower Champagnes 10-15 years ago. Wait until these get more of a chance to age and some of his cuvees will really reach their true potential. We’ll be tasting 4:
- 2022 "Sunflower Sutra", Brut Cuvee, California (50% Chard, 32% Pinot Noir, 18% Meunier) - $52
- 2022 "Sunset Debris", Brut Rose, Carmel Valley, Fox Creek Vineyard (100% Pinot Noir) - $58
- MV1 "Firefly Map", Solera, Santa Lucia Highlands, Escolle Vineyard (58% Pinot, 32% Chard) - $75
- 2021 "Soft Architecture", Blanc de Noirs, Mendocino, Alder Springs Vineyard (100% Pinot Noir) - $75