The Land

Perched at nearly 6,000 feet in the North Fork Valley of Colorado, this site is nothing short of daring. High-elevation farming at the edge of what vinifera can tolerate, it’s a place of stark contrasts—sun-drenched days, crisp alpine nights, and a growing season that tests the patience of both grape and grower. Here, Nebbiolo was a gamble. One that only paid off once in a while. In 2022, a warm late season allowed the grapes to hang long enough before snow called the harvest—just in time to capture this fleeting beauty. The result is a wine shaped as much by mountain resilience as by the noble pedigree of the grape itself.

The Wine

At 22.5 Brix, “The Last Unicorn” walks the razor’s edge of ripeness, yielding a delicate and precise profile that defies expectations. Pale garnet in the glass, it carries all the lifted aromatics we long for in Nebbiolo—fresh strawberries, alpine herbs, plum skin, dried rose petals, and steeped tea. The palate is taut and linear, framed by fine, persistent tannins and a vibrant acid backbone. It’s a mountain wine—light on its feet, full of energy, and unadorned by oak or excess. Made naturally, but without eccentricity, this is a clean, honest expression of Colorado and possibility. This bottling exists because of Steve Rhodes, who planted Nebbiolo here in the late ’90s with hope and conviction. Now the vines are gone, and this is the last vintage ever. :( The Nebbiolo vines were replaced with Pinot Noir. This is a final chapter for this Nebbiolo. A unicorn of a wine. A reminder that some things are worth doing even if they don’t last.

The People

Brandt Thibodeaux is a fifth-generation farmer with a biologist’s eye and a river guide’s soul. He came to Colorado for the mountains and stayed for the wine. At Aquila Cellars, he works with intention—minimalist in the cellar, regenerative in the field, always listening to the land. Aquila makes some of, if not the most interesting wine in Colorado. The polar opposite of safe “test tube” wine that tastes like it could be made anywhere. People definitely don’t think of compelling wine when they think of Colorado, but there’s absolutely great and interesting wine being made here.

Aquila Cellars Virga Red Blend 2020

You may also like

You may also like