Nose
Fresh watermelon and wild strawberries.
Palate
Light and crisp and finishes with splash of citrus sea salt.
Growing Conditions
The 2023 growing season was cooler and wetter than recent years. Near-record rainfall filled soil profiles while a cooler spring and summer facilitated good vine growth but slowed berry and cluster development. The result was a later harvest. Fortunately, the autumn weather was warm and consistent which helped to fully mature berries. The result was a balanced crop with ripe fruit, high tannins and anthocyanins, all indicators of high quality.
Harvest
We sourced grapes from two districts: Templeton Gap and Creston. Our Estate Grenache is grown in the Templeton Gap district, which is a near-perfect condition for the varietal; Warm days, cool nights and afternoon spring and summer breezes with some maritime influence from the Pacific Ocean, just 22 miles away. Soils are clay-based but integrated with small, water worn limestone deposits that help to keep the soil well-drained. The Creston district is a high river plain. Creston district’s soil is unique to the AVA in that they are gravely in nature and riddled with water-worn ancient seabed deposits. These attributes help with vine balance and intense flavors.
Bottling
February 2024
Winemaking
The 2023 Rosé was produced with both direct-press and saignée methods. For direct pressing, individual lots of grapes were harvested early, pressed whole cluster with no maceration time, and racked clean. This approach cultivates bright
acidity and textural crispness. For saignée (French for “to bleed”), we bled off a portion of red wine juice after it was in brief contact with the skins and seeds. This brought an added dimension of lush, rich fruit character. Both methods produce an incredibly light pink color. The juice from each method was fermented separately by variety in stainless steel tanks. The wine remained in the stainless vessels for the entirety of aging, with a small portion aged sur lie.
Aging
100% Stainless Steel for 4 Months
