The Infinite Monkey Theorem (IMT) is an urban winery located in the emerging (some say “hip”) RiNo (River North) district of Denver, Colorado. The Infinite Monkey Theorem also is a thought experiment that some have suggested dates as far back as Aristotle. In its simplest form, it basically postulates that a monkey hitting keys at random on a typewriter for an infinite amount of time will eventually type something intelligible.
IMT (the winery) Founder and Winemaker Ben Parsons apparently chose the name because he saw it as an apt metaphor for winemaking. A winemaker essentially takes grape juice; puts it through various treatments; makes certain adjustments; and then hopes it ultimately turns into a delicious finished product.
While the probability of the theorem ever being proved is highly questionable (remember, it requires infinity), it’s relevance is vindicated with every new vintage of IMT wine. The winery just celebrated its fifth anniversary and in this short time arguably has garnered more attention and accolades than any other Colorado winery.
I had tasted several of the wines before and even attended their legendary “S’wine at the Mine” event at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. I also was aware IMT, since its beginning, has made a name for being an innovator and skilled at marketing. This includes its attention grabbing labels and embrace of alternative packaging – namely cans, kegs, and growlers.
So, I decided it was time to visit the winery itself. Ben wasn’t around the day I was there but I enjoyed the company of the assistant winemaker Adam Teitelbaum.
Adam explained, being an urban winery means being deeply involved with its neighborhood. IMT also hosts a regular schedule of community events, often partnering with local restaurants to provide the food. This past summer included live music for “First Friday Art Walk”, “Third Thursday Summer Supper & Song”, and painting and yoga classes. There is even a garden on the premises that supplies produce for a local restaurant. IMT also partners with The University of Colorado Cancer Center, donating a portion of all sales to cancer research.
The winery also has demonstrated its commitment to Colorado, using almost exclusively grapes from the Grand Valley on Colorado’s Western Slope, not to mention a willingness to experiment with lesser known grape varieties and blends. Adam showed me a good example of this during the tour: resting bottles of (what the winery says is Colorado’s first) Champagne Method sparkling wine, made with Colorado-grown albariño grapes, and just waiting to be hand riddled.
IMT will produce about 10,000 cases for the 2012 vintage from 146 tons of grapes. The location has the capacity to produce 25,000 cases from 400 tons of grapes. In the meantime, we tasted through some very good wines. My notes follow.
2012 Sauvignon Blanc & Semillon ($20) – green apple and citrus given more intrigue with lightly smoky and pleasantly chalky elements, held up with refreshing acidity
2012 Cabernet Franc ($25) – opens with floral, red plum, cassis, and spice that all carry over into a tasty drink showing the promise for this grape in Colorado
2012 Syrah ($25) – enticing blackberry fruit with added complexity from mineral, leather, and pepper notes, this is a rich wine, with a luscious texture and solid structure; this was my favorite sample; and it’s sealed with glass stopper; really cool
The Blind Watchmaker series is the winery’s signature line. I assume it is named after the book “The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe without Design” by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to pursue with my guide the relevance of this idea to IMT’s winemaking. Maybe next time. Regardless, the two wines reveal a design to please even the mot discriminating drinker.
2012 The Blind Watchmaker White ($25) – viognier and roussanne blend, aged nine months in neutral oak, showed nice butterscotch, honeysuckle and tropical fruits with good structure holding it all up
2012 Blind Watchmaker Red ($25) – petit verdot and merlot lead the blend with cabernet franc and syrah plus a dollop of viogier, blackberry, cherry and blueberry are wrapped in vanilla, followed by a whiff of graphite, solid fruit in the mouth flows along a seamless frame
IMT also produces varietal Riesling, Chardonnay, Verdelho (that’s right, the Portuguese grape), Petite Sirah, Petite Verdot, Black Muscat, Semillon, Malbec and a Rose, and just introduced its first dessert wine, a 2012 Orange Muscat.
The premier blend of the portfolio is the “100th Monkey,” a creative blend of cabernet franc, syrah, petite sirah, and malbec that has received high marks in national wine publications. The “hundredth monkey effect” refers to the proposition that once enough people adopt an idea or action, it can reach a threshold or critical mass that suddenly becomes accepted practice in the broader society. The idea has been promoted in popular culture through such works as Douglas Adams’ “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” and Ken Keyes, Jr.’s “The Hundredth Monkey.”
It is another fitting metaphor, as the folks at IMT seem to be operating on the principle that if they can attract enough people to try their wine, a tipping point will be reached and pretty soon everyone will be drinking it.