Palate
The wine is distinctive, medium-bodied and aromatic with refreshing mandarin orange and lime nuances.
Growing Conditions
These grapes were planted in two California vineyards; one planted in the Sonoma Coast AVA and the other in Paicines. The Sonoma Coast vineyard is located in the Petaluma Gap, an area where the challenging dark adobe soil and cool weather challenges grapes to ripen. In Paicines grapes are planted in heavy, well-drained limestone soil much sought after for grape varieties like Pinot Noir. This Arneis is “deficit irrigated” which means irrigating below full crop-water requirements. This keeps the vine in a slight state of water stress early in its growth period leading to less wood, smaller berries and higher flavor concentration.
Winemaking
The grapes were handpicked and de-stemmed without being crushed. The Arneis was immediately pumped to our tank press where the juice was gently squeezed from the berries. Pumped juice flowed to a stainless steel fermenting tank where the wine was chilled and settled for two days. The juice was then racked (decanted) off the grape solids and inoculated with a pure strain of wine yeast. Fermentation proceeded at a cool 50 degrees F to preserve the grape’s lovely fruit character.
