2016 Matthiasson Windmill Vineyard Vermentino, Dunnigan Hills, USA

We planted the vines back in 2011 to match the sunny climate and gravelly clay soils of the Windmill Vineyard. It is a much warmer inland location than the more well-known coastal regions of Napa and Sonoma, and Mediterranean varieties perform beautifully there.

To preserve the bright acidity the grapes were harvested very early, on August 7, and pressed whole cluster. The juice was fermented in old neutral barrels, and then, in order to explore the nutty and savory side of the Vermentino grape grown in a hot climate on these gravelly soils we aged the wine for 54 months, sur lees, in the same barrels, with no racking or stirring.

There was no fining or filtering, no sulfites added at any time, and only native yeasts were used in the fermentation. The pH is 3.25, the TA is 7.0 g/l, and the alcohol is 12.0%. 57 cases produced. – Matthiasson