2008 ROSÉ
California Table Wine

Our move away from using saignée (drawing juice off a red wine tank before it initiates fermentation) as a winemaking technique has benefited our red wines, as they are now less clunky and tannic. Interestingly, it has also helped our rosé in the same sort of way. A number of years ago the rosés seemed too heavy, but by harvesting earlier and using the typical white wine technique of whole-cluster pressing, we are able to produce a wine that is alive and food friendly. The wine has a delicate salmon cast, a captivating, complex aroma, and lots of savory flavor.

The core of this wine comes from a section of Roll Ranch syrah that we have not used in our Roll bottling for years. It was farmed as usual, yielding a meager 2.5 tons per acre, and was harvested at a relatively low sugar level of 22 degrees Brix. We barrel fermented the juice in older wood and produced a very minerally-textured rosé that was a delight to the palate. We also took a selection of grenache and mourvedre fruit, pressing and barrel fermenting it as well. The final blend came together with the addition of a barrel of sauvignon blanc, my secret ingredient that gives the rosé a zestiness that makes it especially food friendly.