2008 Grenache, Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard
This wine is 100% grenache from our new Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard (SLV) in the Edna Valley. 2008 was our 4th leaf and first real crop at SLV. This vineyard has been farmed biodynamic from day one, and it is certainly rewarding to finally have a grenache to release from this special spot. Going forward this wine will replace the grenache that we’ve been making from grapes that we buy from Purisima Mountain Vineyard…we are still buying Purisima grenache for our Los Olivos Cuvée blend. Grapes for this wine were harvested on October 23rd at 24.7 degrees brix, 3.42 pH and 7.4 acidity. This wine is made entirely from “Alban Clone” grenache…a selection that John Alban brought over from an undisclosed source in the Rhone and then propagated at his vineyard in the Edna Valley right across the road from SLV. The grapes were destemmed into small open top fermenters, cold soaked for two days and then fermented to dryness with its own native yeast. During fermentation the grapes were manually punched down twice a day. Grenache is an oxidative variety so at pressing all the wine is carefully assembled into a tank under a co2 blanket and then put straight to neutral French oak barrels. The wine went through malo in the barrel and then was kept on the lees without racking for 17 months. At bottling time the wine was gravity racked in order to get it into the bottle as gently as possible. A selection of 12 barrels (288 cases) were bottled in April 2010. This is the kind of grenache I like to make because it’s the kind of grenache I like to drink…elegant, racy, refreshing, spice, wild cherries, herbs-de-Provence, citrus and the balance and intensity that should allow it age beautifully for 5-10 years. This grenache is almost pinot noir like in its structure and weight and yet when you smell and drink it, it is clearly classic grenache!