Donkey & Goat The Bear Natural Wine
2019

2018 The Bear was a Wine & Spirits Top 100 wine.

Donkey & Goat is celebrated for being amongst a handful of pioneers in the Natural Wine community because in 2004 they were unique for their ecological principles driving decisions in both the vineyard and the cellar and ten years later for promoting transparency, being one of the first to list ingredients on their label.

Our first experience in winemaking began in the Rhône Valley, and our heart and focus stayed with the Rhône for nearly a decade before we branched out to other varietals. In the early years (2005-13) we crafted a Chateauneuf du Pape inspired blend where the name referenced the original thirteen varietals and the first number was how many we had blended (i.e. — Five Thirteen). Like many creators, our inspirations evolved and by 2015 we were crafting a very different wine inspired more by Austrian Reds than Grenache blends from the Southern Rhône. Still working with the same varietals, we found it fascinating that subtle modifications to our winemaking, combined with major shifts in blend composition, could result in a wholly different wine.

The Bear is light on its feet and deeper in structure like a Rhône blend had a lovechild with an Austrian red. We often compare and contrast the wines with the analogy of muscular strength between a football player and a yogi. The Bear is our yogi and brings us pleasure from her meditative powers as she slowly reveals her charms over hours if not days.