Vineyard: Ricetti

AVA: Redwood Valley, Mendocino, CA

Farming: Organic, Dry Farmed

Harvest Date: 7 September and 12 September 2024

Bottling Date: 20 March 2025

Alc: 12%

Cases: 400

The 2024 pink lemonade is, as always, a blend of all the varieties planted at Ricetti Vineyard.  The blend is composed of two separate picks.  The first of these picks is the earlier-ripening varieties at Ricetti – Abouriou and Zinfandel (which contribute tannin and color), as well as some Colombard (for acidity).  This pick was crushed and left to ferment on skins for 7 days, with the goal of extracting a good portion of the tannins from the Abouriou skins.  The wine was then pressed to stainless steel to finish primary fermentation. Once sugar-dry, the wine was racked to neutral barriques to age for 6 months.

In 2024, the consistently hot weather in Redwood Valley meant that the second pick came soon after the first pick, only a week later. This second pick is of the traditionally later-ripening varieties at Ricetti – Valdiguié, Carignan and Colombard.  This pick was very minimally crushed, with a full third of the fruit left intact on the bottom of the tank to undergo carbonic fermentation.  The goal with this style of fermentation was to extract much less tannin and produce a fruitier, lighter wine, as a counterbalance to the earlier, more tannic pick.  After 6 days carbonic in tank, the partially fermented fruit was further crushed by foot to add a bit more color to the wine.  Two days later, the fruit was pressed to stainless steel to finish primary fermentation.  Once sugar-dry, the wine was racked to all neutral barriques to age for 6 months.

In late March, these two field blend components were racked out of their barriques and blended just before bottling, to create one comprehensive Ricetti field blend.

Indigenous yeast fermentation. SO2: 15 ppm total.  No other additions, unfined and unfiltered.

‘pink lemonade’ looks like electric pink lemonade during fermentation, and was named as such.