Unfamiliar Truth

Winemaker’s Tasting Notes

I am loving this wine, yes, it is a departure from the more heady, richer “Unfamiliar Truths” of past vintages. But it is a beautiful floral and vibrantly aromatic Grenache. It truly jumps out of the glass like a rhubarb and coriander pie, if there ever was such a dessert. It is richer on the palate than the tranluscent ruby color suggests; with raspberry, blood orange, roasted strawberry, white pepper embraced in a silky coat. The finish of red fruits and baking spices just keeps going and going.

Drink Now-2034

Winegrowing Approach

Grenache is both challenging and rewarding because the resulting wine is so transparent to each winemaking and vineyard decision. This Portico Hills, is a wonderful cool Grenache site. We whole cluster fermented these grapes, which compliments the structure, flavor and aromas. To optimize color extraction, we chilled the juice and skins for 5-10 days prior to starting fermentation which we allowed to progress with its naturally occurring yeast. For further extraction, during fermentation we applied punch-down, pump-over, and rack-and-return techniques.  After fermentation, we blended the "free run” and press wine into a mix of brand new and neutral large puncheon barrels (2.5 x the size of a normal barrel). We continued to stir the lees weekly during malolactic fermentation.  18 months later we carefully bottled this beautiful Grenache.