2018 Adelaida Vineyard

Translucent gold color. Aromas of citrus fruits and green plum, melon, and exotic oak spice. Lemon zest on entry, orange blossom, firm acid, and a crushed rock-flinty mineral aftertaste. EB (10/19)

Limestone and the cooling effect of the nearby Pacific tempted us to try these white Rhône-style varieties. Ripe by mid- September, they were whole-cluster pressed and fermented separately. In this unique blend, the grenache blanc provides great fruit, while picpoul compliments the rich texture of the roussanne with refreshing acidity. Enjoyable now, it will be at its best over the next six years.

The Adelaida district is well-suited to growing superb rhône varieties. Located in the hills west of Paso Robles, its limestone sub-soils produce wines with excellent mineral character. Paso Robles is the epicenter of new rhône plantings in California. We are fortunate to be able to source grapes from Adelaida Vineyards, who planted grenache blanc, roussanne, viognier, and picpoul blanc among other more established varieties such as grenache noir, syrah and mourvedre (mataro). The vineyard lies on the limestone hills of the Adelaida district, 13 miles from the Pacific coast. Warm days, cool nights, and balanced vines promote great acidity in the grapes.

Rainfall: 20 inches (above normal)
Bloom: Late May
Weather: Spring rains helped the vines get through a warm summer; fall was mild.

Harvest Dates: 14 – 17, September
Grapes: Average Brix 24.0˚
Fermentation: 100% direct-to-press whole cluster fermentation. Natural primary finished in January 2019, secondary finished by end of March 2019. 90% barrel-fermented and aged; 10% concrete fermented and aged.
Barrels: 22% air-dried french oak barrels, 78% air-dried american oak barrels, 10% concrete (barrel age: 21% new, 11% one year-old, 30% two years-old, 10% four years-old, and 28% five years-old).
Aging: Eight months in barrel

Hand-harvested grapes; whole-cluster pressed; fermented on the native yeasts; full malolactic on the naturally occurring bacteria; oak from barrel aging; minimum effective sulfur. Pad filtered at bottling. In keeping with our philosophy of minimal intervention, this is the sum of our actions.

Average Rating: 90.6

No. of Tasting Notes: 30

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