Artemis Botanical Damaged Goods NV

Damaged Goods is a non-vintage red blend from Artemis Botanical, a small northern California producer working exclusively with organically grown fruit and adding nothing in the cellar — including sulfur. The wine combines two separate harvests: 2019 Pinot Noir and Valdiguié, both macerated on the skins, blended with 2020 Grenache that was direct pressed. The Grenache was pressed early specifically to avoid smoke taint during the severe air quality events of the 2020 California wildfire season.

The 2019 Pinot Noir component came from a Russian River Valley vineyard that sustained frost damage, which cut yields significantly but opened a brief window for Artemis to work with otherwise expensive, tightly allocated fruit. The Valdiguié — historically mislabeled as Napa Gamay across California until DNA analysis clarified its identity in 1980 — adds a high-toned red fruit character and bright acidity to the blend. Both were fermented spontaneously with native yeasts and received skin contact.

Artemis Botanical operates as a one-person project with roots in fortified and aromatized wines — vermouth, amaro, grappa, and piquette all sit alongside the table wines in the lineup. The name of this wine is a nod to the Gang of Four track of the same name, not a comment on wine quality. All fermentations are spontaneous, and zero additives are used at any stage.