Variety: Grenache

Vineyard: Shake Ridge

AVA: Amador County, CA

Farming: Organic

Harvest Date: 26 September 2023

Bottling Date: 14 August 2024

Alc: 13%

Cases: 120

After a year hiatus from the Grenache at Shake Ridge (the vines were badly hit by frost in 2022), I once again was able to pull this wonderful fruit from Ann Kraemer for the 2023 harvest.  Ann’s Shake Ridge Ranch is a magical vineyard, and as much as I love everything she grows, the Grenache has a special place in my hear – light in color, beautiful aromatics, but with a consistently strong tannic backbone that makes the wine very ageworthy.

The Grenache was fully foot crushed, and left to ferment 100% whole cluster in tank.  After a short maceration of 5 days on its skins, it was pressed, and the wine was returned to tank to continue fermenting for another 10 days.  Once fermentation was fully through, the  Grenache was barreled down to neutral oak barriques and one puncheon, where it aged through the winter, spring and summer.

In early August, all the barriques and puncheon of Grenache were racked to tank for bottling.

Indigenous yeast fermentation.  25 ppm SO2 added at bottling, no other additions, unfined and unfiltered.