California
Forlorn Hope “Queen of the Sierra”
the place
Calaveras County
the grapes
Riesling, Chardonnay, and Verdelho
the process
Verdelho and Riesling were foot-trod before pressing to open-top tank where they co-fermented / Chardonnay whole-cluster pressed to 400L neutral puncheon / after fermentation is complete, individual lots are racked, blended, and rest in neutral oak until being bottled in 1.5+ years
the price
$25
Broc Cellars “Amore Blendo”
the place
Mendocino
the grapes
52% Barbera, 24% Sauvignon Blanc, 24% Primitivo
the process
The Barbera, Sauvignon Blanc and Primitivo fermented together whole cluster, layered alternating each variety until we reached the top of the tank and sealed it. True carbonic fermentation occurred. We pressed the wine to age in a 41 hL concrete tank, one of our sandstone terra cotta jars and 2 neutral French oak barrels.
the price
$35
Rootdown ‘Jane’s Vineyard’
the place
Mendocino
the grapes
Sangiovese
the process
Destemmed but kept as whole berries. Spontaneous fermentation, (and in order to keep the native yeasts healthy) tank is drained halfway through fermentation, given a bunch of oxygen and pumped back into the ferment to finish. Keeping the style in mind, the wine is pressed early and left to finish off in tank and then aged in neutral barrels for only 7 months.
the price
$35
Ultraviolet
the place
Cab is from Red Hills AVA and Cab Franc is from Napa
the grapes
95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cab Franc
the process
Aged for 10 months in 10% new French oak, and 90% neutral French oak.
the price
$18