Nose
Aromas of fresh strawberry, honeydew melon, and white peaches.
Palate
Juicy grapefruit and strawberry lemonade supported by a crisp acidic backbone.
Growing Conditions
2021 was an unusual and challenging growing season. While the winter did not reach cold temperatures that threatened the buds the rest of the season did not achieve the sunshine and dry conditions we typically hope for. The biggest issue we saw was “night heat” meaning that there were atypical warm nights we allowed for more eventual mold growth. The rain patterns were also sporadic, deluges followed by intermittent dryness with an overarching theme of cloudiness. Finally, our fall season was one of soaking rains which stalled progress. Crop load was also higher which only adds to potential dilution of flavor. This vintage was a challenging juxtaposition with the 2020 vintage. However, the flavor development on the grapes and quick thinking on the part of the winemakers should hopefully lead to some tasty wines, nonetheless.
Harvest
Fruit was sourced from Sawmill Creek Vineyards and Patrician Verona Vineyards. Machine picked fruit from each farm arrived early in the morning at around 40°F. An overnight cold soak prior to pressing allowed for color and flavor to infuse from the skins while not allowing too many textural phenolics to extract. After normal pressing the juice was allowed to cold settle before racking.
Bottling
Bottled on February 3, 2022
Winemaking
Each lot of juice was fermented separately. Rhône 4600 was inoculated and fermentation temperatures ranged from 57 to 66°F. Fermentation lasted 10 days for each tank before the wine was chilled and sulfured.
The two lots of rosé were blended and the wine was racked and filtered.
