RZN Clairette Blanche Nolan Ranch Vineyard 2022

Description

The “Love Letters” Issue

Alc. 12% by vol.

The Vintage:

Cool and moderate growing season, which ran until September. At the the beginning of September there was a tropical storm near Baja Mexico, and it created a heat/ humidity wave that stuck around for a week. This kept the temp and moisture up higher than normal. With Clairette being a Rhone varietal, it helped weather the heat decently. Minimal damage was noticeable on the fruit and yields were super good.

The Process:

The grapes were hand harvested at night and brought to the winery in the early morning of October 3rd. The fruit is dumped into the bladder press and the press cycle for 3 hours. The pressed juice is pumped directly to a steel tank and settles for two days. It is racked to neutral French oak barrels for fermentation.The juice naturally ferments over the course of 5-6 weeks. Around the three week mark, we consolidate the barrels and fill them up completely. From here we top every two weeks and let the wine evolve. The wine is then racked super clean to tank, then bottled unfined and unfiltered with minimal SO2 just prior to bottling to lock in the freshness.