As covered in our previous article, we initially connected with Hoss Milone, winemaker for Brutocao Family Vineyards, for the purpose of learning more about the Coro Mendocino organization. But we learned very quickly that, wonderful as Coro Mendocino is, Brutocao has a lot more to offer than just that.
The Brutocao family emigrated from Italy in 1910. Len Brutocao met his future wife Martha Bliss while attending UC Berkeley; the Bliss family had been farming in Mendocino County since 1943. The families joined forces and continued selling grapes to wineries in Sonoma and Napa, eventually starting their own winery in 1980. Brutocao Family Vineyards is now operated by Len and Martha’s sons: Steve, David and Len, now the third generation owners, with fourth generation family members also involved.
Most of Brutocao’s property is in the Hopland area, consisting of the Bliss Vineyard, Feliz Vineyard and Contento Vineyard – aka the Hopland Ranches. These vineyards total over 400 acres and are planted to a long list of varietals: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Primitivo, Sangiovese, Barbera and Dolcetto. The grapes grown here get a great benefit from the significant diurnal temperature shifts. They also have a smaller (about 11 acres) property in the Anderson Valley, the Slow Lope’n Vineyard, devoted to Pinot Noir, in an area where this varietal is known for its excellence.
The tasting room is located in downtown Hopland at what is now Brutocao Schoolhouse Plaza, formerly the Hopland High School.
Winemaker Hoss Milone joined the team in 2009, after working with Ferrari-Carano for over 17 years. His career goes back a lot farther than that though, starting in 1977 at Milano Winery in Hopland. And he’s a fourth generation winemaker so this is essentially in his blood. He’s also a hoot to hang out with so it was a real pleasure to visit with him at the Brutocao tasting room.
In addition to the Coro Mendocino wines mentioned in the previous article, we tasted the following Brutocao wines…
2022 Sauvignon Blanc – 100% Sauvignon Blanc from the Feliz Vineyard. Pretty tropical nose with a kiss of lemon and nectarine notes.
2021 Chardonnay –100% Chardonnay from the Bliss Vineyard. 40% new French Oak was used to give a hint of buttery notes in a classic presentation. Nice creamy mouthfeel.
2020 Barbera – 100% Barbera from the Hopland Ranches. Bing cherry and blueberry notes from the Feliz Vineyard. Mediums tannin and high acidity result in a rich juicy mouthfeel.
2020 Quadriga –the name refers to a “chariot carried by four horses” and is blend of 40% Primitivo, 25% Sangiovese, 24% Barbera, 8% Dolcetto and 3% Syrah from the Hopland Ranches. Strawberry flavors along with violet notes from Dolcetto, create a wine with a full-bodied mouthfeel and lasting finish.
2018 Cabernet Sauvignon – 95% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Contento Vineyard and 5% Merlot from the Bliss Vineyard. Abundant fruit, well structured, very sophisticated and refined with a lengthy finish. The Cab lovers should go crazy over this!
2018 Torrent – “a deluge” of 65% Merlot, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Syrah from the Hopland Ranches. The earthiness from the Syrah, lushness from the Merlot and sophistication of the Cabernet combine to make a really fun, different and ultimately delicious blend.
2018 Uber Tuscan – modeled after the so-called Super Tuscans from Italy, this blend of 66% Sangiovese, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Hopland Ranches had white pepper on the nose, strawberry notes from Cabernet and a big mouth feel on the back end.
At some point, we had to let Hoss get on with his day. The Brutocao wines were exceptional, both in their great flavors as well as the wide variety of offerings. This was a great exposure to us of the very high quality of what Mendocino County has to offer and we were definitely excited to continue to explore the region.
Brutocao Family Vineyards in Hopland, California
Hopland Tasting Room
13500 S. Hwy 101
Hopland, CA 94574
Michael and Karen Perlis have been pursuing their passion for wine for more than 30 years. They have had the good fortune of having numerous mentors to show them the way and after a couple of decades of learning about wine, attending events, visiting wineries and vineyards, and tasting as much wine as they possibly could, they had the amazing luck to meet Eve Bushman. Michael and Karen do their best to bring as much information as possible about wine to Eve’s Wine 101 faithful readers.
