Vintage: 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007
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Appellation: McDowell Valley
Vineyard: McDowell Valley
Varietal: Grenache Gris
Clone: n/a
Age: 75-90 years
Elevation: 950 feet
Soil: Gravelly loam
Yield: <1 tons/acre |
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Harvested: October 1, 2005
Pressed: October 3, 2005
Blend: 100% Grenache Gris
Fermentation: 60/40 mix neutral FO & Stainless
Barrel aging: 4 mos. 60/40 mix FO & SS
Bottled: February 16, 2006
Production: 66 cases
Release date: Spring 2006
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Just like our other wines, our Grenache Gris is picked into 35lb lug bins,
transported to the winery in refrigerated trucks and moved along the sorting table and into the
de-stemmer/crusher only after passing muster with at least 4 sorters. We de-stemmed, lightly
crushed and then soaked on the skins for 36 hours at 55° F before pressing to barrel where both
primary and secondary fermentation occurred. In 2005, the wine spent 4 1/2 months aging sur-lie
in a mix of 60% neutral French oak and 40% stainless steel. Because we like to bottle this wine in
the early spring to retain its fresh fruit character we inoculated for Malolactic Fermentation which
would not have likely begun on its own until late spring when the cellar warms a bit.
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Isabel’s Cuvée in 2005 is a vibrant pink with just a hint of a tangerine hue. Made from 90+
year old Grenache Gris vines, this is a layered and full bodied rosé with strawberry dominated red
fruit aromas, a hint of garrigue and a flavorful, crisp and even zippy palette. |
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