Nose
Irrepressible perfume of flower petals, strawberries and lemons.
Palate
This Grenache base Rose has intense acidity; bright citrus, and white peaches are anchored on the palate by prominent minerality and a crisp, mouthwatering finish.
Growing Conditions
Harvest was in mid-August by picking the Grenache vineyard—tall vines set in deep white sandy soil. The clusters are usually just through veraison.
A week later the Carignan vineyard planted in 1906 came in with low yields. In the tank the aromatics and flavors moved through iterations of guava and golden raspberry into bright cranberry with great acid.
Labor Day was when we pick our Syrah.
Harvest
All vineyards were handpicked between August 15 and September 7 at 18-20 degrees Brix. Multiple heat waves throughout the spring and summer resulted in lower yields. Uneven clusters required diligent field sorting to make sure the best fruit made it to the winery. It was even more important this year to call our picks at the right moment, balancing ripeness and acidity.
Winemaking
Whole clusters were pressed with the juice flowing into separate, cold stainless steel tanks for long, measured fermentations. Blending occurred in early October followed by bottling of 196 cases in late December.
Appearance
The 2017 Rose literally shimmers in its barely-there hue.
