Although few wineries dabble in Négrette, Comanche Cellars makes it a standout.

If someone were to mention Négrette, most people would draw a blank. A Spanish soccer star? A village in France, perhaps?

Close. It’s a fragile winegrape that travels under different names – Pinot St-George in California, until the feds told the few growers that accuracy matters (the 1990s was a different time) – and is most often deployed in blends. The grape is rare outside of southwestern France, but Comanche Cellars winemaker Michael Simons found some grown in San Benito County and, well, turned it into a single varietal wine. And that, as it turns out, is a good thing.

The 2022 Dog & Pony Négrette is an experience. Moody in color and introspective on the nose, it becomes an effusive wine from the first sip. The dark, dense fruit evident in the bouquet bursts onto the palate in the form of wild berries, with a cranberry bite.

It’s a sharp, acidic wine. At the same time, however, there is a leathery weight that burdens savory notes of dry herbs and black licorice. Drifting through this is an elusive floral note and just a whisper of vanilla.

Comanche Cellars’ Négrette is a wine that confounds your senses – balanced yet pronounced, fruit-forward without gushing over the top. The strapping sensation suggests tannins, but Négrette is a wine meant to be poured young rather than aged. It is a generous wine that deserves more notoriety.

Comanche Cellars, 412 Alvarado St., Monterey. (831) 747-2244, comanchecellars.com