Wine Article
2023 Matthiasson Rosé
Last edited on 3/3/2024 by jellison17
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Our 2023 Rosé was made from a combination of Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Counoise from the Windmill Vineyard, and Grenache and Barbera from the Muller Vineyard, two adjacent vineyards that are located in the Dunnigan Hills. Both vineyards are lovingly farmed organically.
Our Rosé is as light as a feather, almost floating across the palate, with a beautiful clean finish. Subtle fruits, salty minerality, and refreshing acidity.
The Grenache is for texture, the Mourvèdre for minerality, the Counoise for fruitiness, and the Barbera for brightness.
Its citrusy aromas and clean flavors will complement the wonderful spring foods that show up on the table as the weather thaws (salads, rabbit, frittatas, peas, favas, green garlic…). Perfect for springtime holiday meals, or enjoying on the porch all summer.
Winemaking: The fruit is grown specifically for rosé, which means that we keep the vines a little happier and the fruit more shaded than for red wine, growing plump juicy thin-skinned grapes that are vibrant and refreshing. To capture that zesty brightness, we harvest very early, barely past veraison, similar to the level of ripeness for sparkling wine. We capture the fruit when it is still high-toned, crisp, and refreshing. We whole-cluster press the grapes, settle in a cold tank for 24 hours, then ferment and age the wine “sur lees” in stainless steel barrels. To preserve the acidity we prevent malo-lactic fermentation. We keep the barrels shut tight, no topping or stirring, and the wine is never racked, fined, or cold-stabilized, but since it is ML negative it is filtered before bottling. Because the wine is not stabilized it might throw some harmless sediment if left in the fridge too long.
The blend is approximately 44% Grenache, 22% Barbera, 16% Counoise, and 14% Mourvèdre. 3.31 pH, 6.7 g/l TA, 11.5% Alcohol. 2,078 cases produced.
The Vineyards:
Windmill Vineyard
Sergio Villanueva farms the Windmill vineyard and carefully nurtures it with tremendous pride. The Windmill Vineyard is situated on pinkish gravelly alluvial soils in the Dunnigan Hills AVA of Yolo County. It is a hot climate, and the fruit ripens fast, allowing us to harvest ripe fruit at low sugar levels with balanced acidity, keeping the alcohol moderate and the texture soft and light. Certified Organic.
Muller Vineyard
Gio Ferrendelli is part of the iconic Muller family, diversified farmers in Yolo County (they grow everything from tomatoes and peppers to melons and pumpkins to almonds and walnuts in addition to a small amount of wine grapes). As a passion project he tends the grapes that he planted to match the warm climate, the foremost being Barbera, which holds its acidity and bright fruit even with the warm nights. Farmed organically for us at our request (we gladly pay extra).
Our Rosé is as light as a feather, almost floating across the palate, with a beautiful clean finish. Subtle fruits, salty minerality, and refreshing acidity.
The Grenache is for texture, the Mourvèdre for minerality, the Counoise for fruitiness, and the Barbera for brightness.
Its citrusy aromas and clean flavors will complement the wonderful spring foods that show up on the table as the weather thaws (salads, rabbit, frittatas, peas, favas, green garlic…). Perfect for springtime holiday meals, or enjoying on the porch all summer.
Winemaking: The fruit is grown specifically for rosé, which means that we keep the vines a little happier and the fruit more shaded than for red wine, growing plump juicy thin-skinned grapes that are vibrant and refreshing. To capture that zesty brightness, we harvest very early, barely past veraison, similar to the level of ripeness for sparkling wine. We capture the fruit when it is still high-toned, crisp, and refreshing. We whole-cluster press the grapes, settle in a cold tank for 24 hours, then ferment and age the wine “sur lees” in stainless steel barrels. To preserve the acidity we prevent malo-lactic fermentation. We keep the barrels shut tight, no topping or stirring, and the wine is never racked, fined, or cold-stabilized, but since it is ML negative it is filtered before bottling. Because the wine is not stabilized it might throw some harmless sediment if left in the fridge too long.
The blend is approximately 44% Grenache, 22% Barbera, 16% Counoise, and 14% Mourvèdre. 3.31 pH, 6.7 g/l TA, 11.5% Alcohol. 2,078 cases produced.
The Vineyards:
Windmill Vineyard
Sergio Villanueva farms the Windmill vineyard and carefully nurtures it with tremendous pride. The Windmill Vineyard is situated on pinkish gravelly alluvial soils in the Dunnigan Hills AVA of Yolo County. It is a hot climate, and the fruit ripens fast, allowing us to harvest ripe fruit at low sugar levels with balanced acidity, keeping the alcohol moderate and the texture soft and light. Certified Organic.
Muller Vineyard
Gio Ferrendelli is part of the iconic Muller family, diversified farmers in Yolo County (they grow everything from tomatoes and peppers to melons and pumpkins to almonds and walnuts in addition to a small amount of wine grapes). As a passion project he tends the grapes that he planted to match the warm climate, the foremost being Barbera, which holds its acidity and bright fruit even with the warm nights. Farmed organically for us at our request (we gladly pay extra).