Vineyard

What began as an experiment to enrich our red wines has become a family favorite. For many years, during Harvest, as the Malbec grapes are sorted and pumped into the fermentation tanks, we drained off some of the juice. Called “saignée” by the French, this technique intensifies the character of red wines. Thanks to our love of Rosé, rather than discard the juice, we followed the French tradition and fermented it to produce a Rosé that we initially shared with just family and friends. After several successful vintages, we decided to produce enough Rosé to share with our patrons too. Thanks to the popularity of this wine, we now incorporate a second Rosé production technique and press a small portion of the Malbec grapes an hour after picking.

The Winter of 2019 was cold (with temperatures dipping into the low 20’s) and wet (our rainfall total for the year was 55”; normal is 36”). Summer temperatures were perfect with warm days and cool nights. The ideal ripening weather continued through the Fall. We began harvesting the Malbec on September 26.

Cellar

Produced from only Malbec grapes, we fermented the 2019 Rosé cold in a temperature-controlled stainless steel tank to retain its fruity components. We carefully monitored the temperature and rate of fermentation to ensure that the wine is fruit-forward and well-balanced with a fresh finish. It was bottled in January 2020.

Drinkability

The 2019 Rosé opens with a lovely bouquet of watermelon, powdered candies, ripe raspberries and hibiscus. Bright, fresh and lively on the palate, it has a sweet strawberry middle and a long, lingering finish.

At Harvest:

22.8° Brix sugar
0.68 g/100 mls acidity
3.35 pH

At Bottling:

13.5% alcohol
0.60 g/100 mls acidity
3.36pH