Hog Island
Tomales Bay · Pacific Coast, USA · Crassostrea gigas
The California upwelling-fed Pacific opens with sweetness leading the salt — the brine registers after the sweetness is already there, which is the signature.
Texturecreamy
Finishsweet
Shellmedium, deep-cupped
The sweetness can take a small squeeze. At the farm's own picnic tables, the local tradition is to barbecue half and eat the rest raw with butter and hot sauce
Pair with
Sonoma County Chardonnay (unoaked or lightly oaked)Brut Champagne or California sparkling wineCold pale lager or wheat beer
Details
Cultivationbottom-culturedAppearancemedium · deep-cupped
If you like this, try
Chelsea GemSouth Puget SoundBrine arrives first, with sweetness close enough behind it that the two feel simultaneous.Hog Island SweetwaterTomales Bay freshwater seep growing positionNoticeably sweeter and softer-brined than the standard Hog Island Pacific — the difference is apparent in the liquor before the meat is reached.