The bouquet of this wine leads with a vibrant symphony of freshly-cut apricot, delicate elderflower, and fragrant rose hips upon ripe guava and juicy pineapple. Fresh watermelon and subtle grapefruit zest lead to a delicate creaminess, adding depth to the wine. A crisp minerality paves the way for a burst of raspberry-buttercream juiciness that captivates the palate. Lime zest accents add complexity to the acidity, while summery white peach notes linger on the palate.
The 2024 growing season started off quite wet and cold, giving the vines an extended dormant period. Bud break occurred as spring began, followed closely by a brief bloom period. Early summer brought a mix of warm and hot days, but nights remained cool, allowing the vines time to recoup. Vintage 2024 was a tale of two harvests: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel were picked in late August through early September, while the Bordeaux varieties were mostly harvested in mid-September, concluding with our final truck of Cabernet Sauvignon on October 11th.
Fruit for this wine was harvested from various vineyards throughout Sonoma County, with 75% coming from our Estate Ranch Rio Este in the Russian River Valley. Vineyard blocks used for opur Rose program were picked over a month’s tiome, beginning in early-September for Zinfandel and finishing with some mountainside merlot Rose picked in early October.
Zinfandel from our Estate, Ranch Rio Este, was picked at 22 Brix early in the cool morning and put directly into our grape press using the most gentle cycle. Only the pale, blush-colored free-run juice was collected and fermented in a stainless steel tank at a cold temperature for 21 days. The balance of lots used the ‘saigne’ method to bleed Zinfandel and Merlot juice from their grape tanks, collecting it into stainless steel tanks and fermenting independently for another 21 days. All lots were then sent to neutral barrels for a short elevage of just 3 months. Only 27% malolactic conversion was performed to retain the beautiful natural acidity from the vintage. Wine lots were blended in the first part of the new year and then quickly bottled.
