Final Girl Wines - 40% off - Rhone Varietals & More from Santa Barbara County

Peter and Anna are a husband and wife team that were brought together from opposite ends of the earth by a mutual love of horror and wine. Final Girl Wines is a blend of their two great passions.


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After 18 years working in Napa, Sonoma, Central Otago, Marlborough and Santa Barbara regions, Anna has created a range of wines for genre lovers and wine enthusiasts alike. The Final Girl wines are serious and unique, yet fun and unpretentious.

Our Berserker day offer

We have made things simple and easy for you to try our wines the way you want.

40% off all our wines when you use the code BERSERK21

Any varietal, any combination. Please take a look at our wines below an you decide what works best for you.

Go to http://www.finalgirlwines.com to place your order.

Follow us on Instagram at @finalgirlwines


2018 Sangiovese $37 per bottle, Berserker price $22.20

This fruit forward Sangiovese has notes of luxardo cherry, ripe strawberry, black plum, dried roses, baking spice and hints of dried oregano. A versatile red that can easily be had on its own or paired with a broad range of tomato based pastas or pizzas, charcuterie meats and hard cheeses and is perfect for foods on a Thanksgiving dinner table.
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Vineyard: C5 Vineyard, Los Olivos District AVA. Farmed using organic practices.
In a Nutshell: 97% Sangiovese. 3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 72 cases produced. ABV 13.5%. Minimal SO2 additions, fermented in small vessels, daily punchdowns, native yeast. No fining, lightly filtered. Bottled on: 2021-04-13.
Final Girl Pairing: Silence of the Lamb’s Clarice Starling, an absolute classic. This wine should also pair nicely with liver and fava beans.


2018 Tethered Red Blend - Syrah / Grenache RRP - $33 per bottle, Berserker price $19.80

Our Tethered Red blend has the darker, earthier Syrah as the larger component, providing dark berry and black currant notes. The Grenache provides aromas of dried cranberry and fresh black cherry flavors, to compliment hints of vanilla and clove. The juicy acidity stands out on the palette, balancing the medium body and smooth tannins of this unfined and unfiltered wine.
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Vineyard: Tepesquet Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley AVA.
In a Nutshell: 60% Syrah and 40% Grenache.105 cases produced. Abv 14.6%. Fermented on skins for 17 days. Aged in barrel for 18 months, 14% new French oak, balance in neutral French oak. Unfined and unfiltered. Bottled on: 2020-09-20
Final Girl Pairing: Adelaide, from the movie Us, is a character “tethered” to her doppelganger, Red. Similarly, this blend is the doppleganger of our previous Grenache/Syrah release.


2020 Viognier ‘Orange Wine’ RRP - $35 per bottle, Berserker price $21

We ferment these white grapes on their skins, using the same process for a red wine, the wine was aged in neutral French oak barrels for 6 months before bottling… With notes of apricots, banana, orange peel and ripe pineapple, it’s a medium bodied wine that is like a tropical mimosa, no bubbles needed. Served chilled.
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Vineyard: Shokrian Vineyard, Santa Barbara County AVA. Organic and biodynamically farmed. Fermented on the skins. Aged in neutral French oak barrels for 6 months before bottling.
In a Nutshell: 100% Viognier, unfined and unfiltered. 70 cases produced. Abv 13.5%
Final Girl Pairing: Halloween’s Laurie Strode, incredibly versatile but a classic


2020 Rosé of Syrah RRP - $31 per bottle, Berserker price $18.60

This crisp and refreshing rose is made by whole cluster pressing Syrah grapes, the juice was then barrel fermented and racked clean to a stainless steel tank for aging before bottling. This wine is light bodied with mouth watering acidity, aromas of granny smith apple and fresh cut strawberries, with a dried apricot finish. The perfect wine to sip while watching a sunset, brunching or lounging by the pool.
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Vineyard: Coquelicot Vineyard, Santa Ynez Valley AVA. Certified organic grapes. Whole cluster pressed Syrah grapes.
In a Nutshell: 100% Syrah, unfined and filtered. 56 cases produced. Abv 13.5%
Final Girl Pairing: Zombieland’s Wichita, young and fun but can handle its own.


2020 Piquette of Syrah RRP - $25 per bottle, Berserker price $15

Piquette is an old French tradition where the used pomace/grape skins are rehydrated to create a second lower alcohol beverage, the ultimate in recycling. Native yeast fermented, 6 month barrel aged and bottle conditioned to yield.
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Vineyard: Coquelicot Vineyard, Santa Ynez Valley AVA. Certified organic grapes. Bottled unfined, unfiltered and undisgourged
In a Nutshell: 100% Syrah, bottle conditioned. 30 cases produced. Abv 10.5%
Final Girl Pairing: The Bride of Frankenstein. The grape skins were given new life in this fun and funky summertime sipper.


2020 Chenin Blanc RRP - $33 per bottle, Berserker price $19.80

Our Chenin Blanc is bright and vibrant with aromatics of citrus blossom, Asian pear and fresh cut grass. With a palette of Granny Smith apple, lime zest and wet stone, this light bodied wine has bright acidity and a lingering finish.
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Vineyard: Jurassic Park Vineyard, Santa Ynez Valley AVA. Own rooted Sandy Loam soil. 40 year old vines from Santa Ynez Valley. Whole cluster pressed.
In a Nutshell: 100% Chenin Blanc. 60 cases produced. ABV 12%. Fermented in stainless steel and aged in neutral French oak barrels Bottled on: 2021-04-13
Final Girl Pairing: Jurassic Park’s Dr. Ellie Sattler. Down to earth and humble, but bright and versatile.

I was lucky enough to get to taste a few of the offerings from Final Girl Wines. I’m not much of a horror movie fan, so I’ll plead ignorance on that front. I do know a little more about wine; the overall lineup was fantastic, and even at the MSRP a great value (especially the two reds). I bet they’d pair very nicely with some of the Smoking Goose offerings

My overall sense is that these are wines very much made for the table: the drinkability is high, the fussiness is low.

Disclosure: I was provided these bottles gratis, for the purposes of providing an evaluation for NewbiePalooza.

2020 Skin Contact Viognier
I do not like skin contact whites; it’s a style that has never appealed to me. I also don’t really like viognier; the lack of acidity is tough for someone who prefers high acid whites. So this came into the ring with odds stacked heavily against it. The nose has the floral tone that I’ve always associated with orange wines, but it may well be blended in with the floral viognier tones as well. On the palate this is far on the clean side of the funk spectrum. Quite savoury, with a saline element that is a little surprising for the grape and style. Completely dry there are nonetheless some tropical fruit (mango or passionfruit) tones, which coupled with a slight bitterness makes for an amply interesting wine. Admittedly a little low on acid, but this is structural enough in other ways to make up for it. Perhaps a gateway to the world of orange wine? I actually quite enjoyed this iteration of orange wine.

2020 Piquette of Syrah
It’s unfortunate that the weather has turned where I live so that I can’t enjoy this wine to the fullest (read: with a full chill in the heat of summer). I had to look up what piquette meant when I received this bottle. This is like a spritzer of the juice of syrah (fermented dry). I’ll admit that some of the varietal characteristics seem to have been lost at this point, but there is still lots of black fruit and even a bit of the black peppercorn, but I feel like it’s best not to overthink something like this. It’s a fizzy, moderately alcoholic grape beverage that is full on fun. If you’re where it is still warm, get this. A side note – a lot of the wines that are like this tend to have weird yeasty flavours or natty elements. Not this. It’s fresh and clean. This was the lowest alcohol, and was also the most fun to drink.

2018 Sangiovese
I’ll admit to some skepticism about growing nebbiolo outside of Italy (I’m not sure I’ve ever had a compelling nebbiolo outside of Piedmont), so when I saw sangiovese, I (wrongly) extrapolated. This is really tasty and retains the varietal characteristics of the grape, in particular a dried herbal note on the back end of the nose as well as a more red-fruit-driven profile. This is cheerful and bright on the nose and even more so on the palate. A note of candied red (as opposed to black) cherry dominates the palate. A smidgen of sweetness (from the fruit, not actual sugar) makes this especially approachable in its youth. On the finish, there seems to be a touch of oak vanillin, but no oaky tannins to intrude on the sheer drinkability of this. Very good value, too, especially in comparison to many Tuscan wines that I’ve tried. This is fantastic pizza wine (and those who have read my notes know that I use that description only in the most complimentary way possible).

2018 Tethered
This needs a little bit of a Fourrier shake to get rid of the very mild fizz. A ripe and opulent nose, generously on the darker side of the fruit spectrum. California syrah characteristics dominate the aromas – somewhat reminiscent of the riper vintages of the Pax Sonoma Hillsides. There is a faint strawberry tone on the nose as well that I’m going to attribute to the grenache. The palate has plenty of ripe fruit (again, more black than red), but it’s the savoury elements behind the overt fruit that I’m more keen on. 14% new oak (which I assume means one barrel out of seven); the hint of vanilla serves as an accent. In the scheme of GS(M) blends, this handily beats down most CdPs by its clean, fruity profile, better acidity, and balanced alcohol.

Edit: I popped and poured all of these on Monday night, and unfortunately owing to my schedule was unable to revisit them on Tuesday night. I hope to be able to post some second day impressions on NewbiePalooza evening.

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This is a rather interesting line up/assortment. I’m a big fan of Orange wines, the Viognier sounds delicious.

Also, as the winemakers are fans of horror, curious what their top 5 films, or books are. Perhaps old school, “A Cask of Amontillado”.

Hi all,

Along with A.So, I was the lucky recipient of four Final Girl wines to taste and preview for our first-ever NewbiePalooza, at no cost to myself. Right off the bat, I was excited to see an interesting and eclectic assortment of wines — wines I would consider to be generally “in my wheelhouse,” as the oddities comport with my affinity for trying unusual bottlings, and the more “normal” bottlings ultimately proved to be made in a style I quite enjoy.

Right off the bat, I took notice of the packaging: fun, unpretentious labels, and the two reds were additionally sealed with wax (the pliable kind, not the kind that chips into fifty thousand little bits). I like an elegant, traditional, label as much as the next woman or guy, but another part of me loves it when a producer chooses to inject a down-to-Earth vibe into the atmosphere with their offerings: Final Girl does exactly that with great aplomb.

The first wine I tried was the 2020 Piquette of Syrah. This was popped and poured, and tasted non-blind out of a Grassl Liberte glass over 2.75 hours. In a clear glass bottle, and sealed with a crown cap, the packaging practically begs you to just relax and not take this wine too seriously; and I think it fits the bill perfectly for that. Initially, the Nose started off very similar to Welch’s grape juice — Ash felt it was healthily funky at this point in time, but that was a sense I wouldn’t get 'till a touch later. Initially, it had a bit of a savory bent to go along with the grape juice aroma, and it slowly developed a balsamic facet after being open for about 30 minutes, and eventually a note of tar at the end of the tasting. The color on this wine is a striking magenta-violet color of great depth. It is slightly sparkling/fizzy, and is light bodied. The initial pour hit my glass at 45 degrees F., and I do ultimately believe this wine is best served chilled. Initially, this had a light grape juice flavor with light tannins. Straightforward, tasty, open, and unpretentious. 10.5% alc. not noticeable. This strikes me as an awesome poolside glugger, and I imagine it would go quite well with BBQ. Most of the action is on the mid palate, leading into a light, grapey finish. Medium+ to high acidity. Savory note from the Nose is reflected onto the palate. There was a slight almost leathery note — similar to a dry British apple cider — or perhaps a Foillard Cote du Puy — but less serious. A balsamic note emerged about 30 min. in, and gradually intensified to the point where it came across a lot like a Flanders red ale. I did revisit this on Day 2, and it had developed a pronounced crackery/cereal/furry note, which helps lead me to the conclusion that this is best popped and poured, served with a chill, and consumed fairly quickly thereafter. A perfect summertime, backyard BBQ party wine.


Next up was the 2018 “Tethered” Red Blend. This was decanted approximately 30 minutes before the initial taste, and was tasted non-blind over approx. 2.5 hours out of Grassl 1855 stems. Color was dark garnet of medium-deep depth. The aromatics started-off moderately expressive, featuring ripe purple berries, with hints of rubber inner tube and violets. A distinct, but discrete, note of raspberry emerged after the bottle had been open for about one hour. Medium to medium-full bodied on the palate, with medium+ to high acidity. Juicy red berries on the front palate, leading into a dark, oak-inflected, mid and rear palate. Not thick/gloppy/overblown. Not funky, and no cool climate olive aspect. A touch warm from the 14.6% alc., but not off-putting. 60% Syrah and 40% Grenache – this struck me as a successful blend here: it didn’t lean heavily towards either variety, and neither stuck out; rather, it is simply quite tasty, and I really appreciated the elevated acidity, as the fruit is ripe enough to carry it well. Drinks well now, but I see room for improvement with a couple years in the cellar.


A couple of days ago we opened the 2018 Sangiovese, which we decanted 2 hours before initial taste; tasted non-blind over approx. 2.5 hours. Served in Grassl 1855 stems. Nose was high-toned, clean, and dominated by juicy red berries, with complicating notes of flowers and baked Cinnamon roll. Striking, medium-dark ruby color of medium-shallow to medium depth. Clear. Medium-light bodied. Juicy red berries repeated on the palate, with medium acidity in good balance with the medium concentration of fruit. Not funky. Medium-light oak. Little-to-no tannins. 13.5% alc. not noticeable. Overall, quite approachable, tasty, and easy to drink. Drink Now and over the near term.


Last wine up was the 2020 Skin Contact Viognier. This was popped and poured, and tasted from Grassl Liberte stems. The nose was an interesting tangy/honeysuckle/honey/kumquat/apricot blend. Clearly Viognier, as the variety’s character did clearly come through, but also unusual due to the skin contact. Moderately expressive. This had a much gentler array of aromatics than most skin-contact wines I’ve had previously. Color is a hazy pale orange color. Light bodied on the palate. I can’t say I dug this as much as A.So, and I wish I would have had the benefit of tasting this wine with Peter and/or Anna so I could have asked a bunch of questions about what we were tasting. Loads of mineral on the palate, with very little in the way of fruit — this reminded me of D&R’s Semillon and also their skin-contact Melon. Sour, in a dry, mostly flavorless, way. 13.5% alc. was a little noticeable. There were some weird/funky/cereal/furry tones going on, and neither I or Ashley could really get past them. Historically, I’ve loved most orange, and skin-contact, wines I’ve tried; this one didn’t quite hit that mark for me. I do note that A.So enjoyed this one greatly and he usually does not like skin-contact whites, so maybe this is a wine of that type for folks who don’t normally like them, or maybe there’s some bottle variation going on — I really don’t know. I will say the Nose was quite pleasant.

Based on these four wines, I am curious to see what’s up with their Rose of Syrah (my favorite grape for making rose), as well as their Chenin (my second favorite white wine grape, if not favorite), too.

Huge [thankyou.gif] to Peter and Anna for the opportunity to preview these wines, and also to Todd for conceiving of this opportunity for Monopole Cru members. This opportunity, alone, makes Monopole Cru membership “worth it,” and that’s besides supporting the board and all the other great offers that have presented themselves over the year — really, the M.C. is a no-brainer at this point. [berserker.gif]

Particularly with NewbiePalooza pricing in effect, these wines offer tremendous value, and are well-worth trying if you’re not allergic to fruit flavors in your wine.

A. So and Brian G r a f s t r o m, thanks for these reviews. They are very much appreciated.

I found myself pretty much agreeing with a lot of what you both said and going ‘yeah that’s an interesting take’ for most of everything you said.

I will try to respond in the most easy and succinct way possible.

Overall… drink them now. It is hard for a small family owned wine label to do this, but we try to make and release wines as close as we can to when they should be enjoyed.

Sangiovese… Fantastic Pizza wine. We will definitely take that as a compliment. Italian food, family style, flatbread pizza. This is what we enjoy.

Tethered Red Blend… To me it is a quiet achiever. Definitely grown on me over time. I think it is balanced well and what has been most exciting is how it has developed in bottle over time.

Piquette of Syrah… You are both right I think. Don’t save it. Next time you are at a BBQ, crack this one open where there are steaks and smash burgers and this will fly well. We did this over the summer (that seems to go on and on) and its perfect for that occasion. It is similar to some Australian Sparkling Shiraz, so we like to think of it as an Aussie Christmas wine.

Viognier Skin Contact Orange wine… Who dares wins! Orange wine is always interesting. For this one we like to say that if you lean into a wine that is like a tropical mimosa, without the bubbles, you will be on the money here.

Rich K0rz€nk0

So picking top 5 films is going to be hard, but I would like to recognize your ‘A Cask of Amontillado’ reference for Edgar Allen Poe. He is one of America’s greats.

Sinister
Warlock
Halloween
Leprechaun in the hood
Blackcoats Daughter
The Banshee Chapter

I’m sorry, I can’t do 5. But any of the above would be great in the Halloween season.

I look forward to talking to you all tomorrow!

Good morning, Peter!

While I understand where A is coming from with his “pizza wine” comment about the Sangiovese — a comment I, too, would take in the complimentary manner intended — it came across to me as a bit more serious than the light bodied, light-red-fruited, wines I think of when I think “pizza wine.” I enjoyed it, and hope it’s a bottling you and Anna will be able to continue with into the future.

Funny you mention opening the Piquette of Syrah with steaks and burgers, as “burgers” was another pairing that came to my mind, as well. For a little while, it really did come across as a baby Foillard “Cote du Puy,” which happens to be my favorite Cru Bojo, and is nearly an annual purchase. In some ways, this may have been my favorite of the four — I can easily imagine this bottle getting drained way fast on a hot summer day, poolside, or later that same evening with the grill coals smoking as the sun makes its descent.

The Tethered impressed me quite a lot, too — like A, I did occur to me that I enjoy this one more than many CdPs I’ve had in recent years, and I say that as someone who loved CdP before the appellation largely turned to the darkside in the mid 2000’s. Very nice acidity and balance here, and a wine I hope you and Anna are quite pleased with!

Your description of “tropical mimosa” is an insightful one, and I can get behind that! Thank you for that perspective. champagne.gif


Buckle-up for what will hopefully be quite the busy day today. Stepping-up to the plate with discounts as deep as you and Anna are offering is extremely cool, and I hope you’re rewarded with a bounty of orders!w

Yeah, its hard. And yes, Edgar Allen Poe, an OG of Horror. Cask is a short story, but sounded appropriate in a wine forum. [cheers.gif]

Made me think of my top 5, The Thing, The Descent, Hellraiser, Poltergeist, Evil Dead, and Cabin in the Woods; could’t do 5 either.

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Went in for a sampling

I just saw that. Thanks and I hope you enjoy the wines. Just as a side, ‘Pinhead’ from Hellraiser has signed on for a project I am working on which is going to be very exciting.

Thanks to all those who have taken up the offer so far. We really appreciate your support.

Order in!

Brian characterizes the Piquette really well. It’s definitely a bbq/burger kind of wine, and reminds me of some Beaujolais, but without the candied/sucralose flavours that gamay and other carbonic wines can have.

Thanks Michael. I saw that. The wines will be on the way later today. Appreciate the support.

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A. So. I’m impressed with your palate. Because this was such a small volume, we press the skins after fermentation over some already pressed Gamay pomace. So that would explain some of the notes you are picking up.

I assure you that was just a lucky coincidence! I often incorrectly conjoin gamay with the winemaking style of gamay.

Peter - will the Piquette hang on until the Midwest warms up again in March/April? Or should I pick something else.

I’m not a big horror film guy, but 1997’s “Prince of Darkness” with Jameson Parker has always creeped me out.

I am having an issue getting the coupon code to work, any idea what’s going on?

I used it earlier today without an issue. Seems obvious, but check the spelling. [cheers.gif]

I’m having the same issue. I cut and pasted, so that’s not the issue.

Hi Thomas, Drew. I have had some issue with GoDaddy.com, but I recreated it. Hopefully it should all be working now.