California
We are ecstatic about the character of the rosé we make now. When we started making rosé in 1991 it was a byproduct of bleeding off juice from the red wine tanks to concentrate them, a saignee. After years of making rosé in this manner, I finally figured out doing so was counterproductive. Saignee made the reds clunky and the rosé heavy, so starting in 2008 we began picking and whole cluster pressing grapes specifically for rosé. The base of the wine since then has been a section of Roll Ranch syrah, which produces a wonderfully zippy and minerally wine when picked at 22 brix.
Vinification:
In 2010 we blended in 5% grenache and 5% riesling, which gave the wine an exciting punch. Winemaking wise, things have remained consistent. The rosé is barrel fermented, it partially goes through the malo-lactic fermentation and remained on the lees until bottling on February 14th.
Blend: 90% Syrah, 5% Grenache, 5% Riesling | Vineyard: Roll Ranch, Kick on Ranch, Sebastiano | Alc: 13.0% | Vinification: 100% Neutral French Oak | Barrel Aging: 5 Months | Total Production: 351 cases
