Leopold Bros. Sweet Wermut

20% ABV

Another brilliant release from legendary distiller Todd Leopold! "Wermut" is the German word for Wormwood which is the origin of the English word "Vermouth". Much like with Juniper and Gin, Wormwood is the required ingredient in order to call something a Vermouth/Wermut. This is a very long way of saying that this is a Vermouth....

This bottling is a collaboration between Leopold Bros. and Matthiasson Winery in Napa. The base of the Vermouth is the Matthiasson Napa Cabernet Sauvignon. It is fortified with Peach and Pear Eau-de-Vie that were made on the Leopold Three Chamber Still (click here for a bit of backstory on that one of a kind still). The fortified wine is then infused with an outro collection of botanicals including ginger root, rooibos tea, and green mandarins.

It is completely outside of anything we've ever tasted that is labeled as Vermouth. For starters, it is incredibly vinous, more reminiscent and expressive of the base wine than is usual. Most Vermouth are made with fairly neutral and unremarkable white wine. It maintains the texture and tannin of a Napa Cab. Secondly, it is more bitter than any Vermouth we've ever tried. The closest comparison for us would be Carpano's Punt e Mes but it is totally different in botanical profile. The botanical complexity really emerges in the finish where you get some floral, peppery notes. This is a Vermouth to savor and ponder as you sip. We really enjoy it served over ice with club soda where it almost reads like an Americano Highball, even without the addition of a Bitter Aperitivo. 

Producer Notes:
Leopold Bros is back with another collaboration proj­ect, this time teaming with Matthiasson winery in Napa for a groundbreaking Wermut project—an aromatized wine utilizing Matthiasson’s Napa Cabernet Sauvignon along with our own Three Chamber brandies.

Wermut is the German word for wormwood, which was often used as an ingredient in the aromatized wines of the 16th century. The French pronunciation of ver­mouth is what many aromatized wines are called today. Wermut, however, refers specifically to those made with Grande Wormwood.

The Leopold Bros x Matthiasson Wermut is possibly the most indulgent expression of wermut ever created. Starting with a base of Steve Matthiasson’s 100% organ­ic, barrel-aged Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, Todd then blends in both California pear and Colorado peach brandies distilled on the historic Three Chamber Still— the first to be produced this way in over 100 years.

From there, the Grande Wormwood is infused, along with white pepper, vanilla, green mandarins, Rooibos tea, rose petal, chocolate, ginger root, and Belgian candi sugar. The resulting wermut is incredibly fragrant on the nose, running a full spectrum of fruit flavors and exotic spices. The texture is full-bodied and slightly tan­nic, showcasing the structure of the Napa Cabernet.