2010 Rousten Cabernet Franc

This is our first bottling from the historic Rousten vineyard, which we are currently replanting. Before Prohibition, Rousten’s was one of five wineries on Monte Bello Ridge. Charles Senior, and later his son, produced only a limited amount of wine; through 1952, most of their grapes were sold to local wineries. The last vines were taken out by the early 1960s. Situated at an elevation of 1850′- 2188′, this great property has been horse pasture for the last fifty years. In this cool vintage, a small crop ripened by mid-October. Whole berries fermented on their natural yeasts for six days. Uninoculated malolactic began in tank, and finished in barrel a month later. Quarterly racking clarified the wine. This fine cabernet franc has resolved nicely. Enjoyable now, it will continue to develop over the next five to seven years. EB (6/12)

Charles Rousten purchased seventy-five acres on Monte Bello in 1903. He planted vines and built a winery, BW (Bonded Winery) 180. During Prohibition, he converted most of the vines to prune orchards, but kept about eight acres of vineyard. After repeal, he produced a small quantity of wine until his death in 1941, when his son, Charlie, inherited the property. Charlie operated the winery until sometime in the 1950s, when—fed up with the increasing paperwork demanded by the federal authorities—he famously refused to pay the federal excise taxes on his wine. He dumped all the wine on the ground in front of a federal agent, and threw him off the property. He tore out the remaining vines, closed the winery, and focused on the orchards, cattle, and hay. When Charlie died in 1990, he left his land to Lois Ortmann who developed a successful boarding operation for horses. In 2007 Lois signed a long-term lease with Ridge on thirty-seven acres and vines were re-planted starting in 2008. This cabernet franc is our first release from the ranch.

Rainfall: 33 inches (average)
Bloom: Late June
Weather: Cool, late spring; cold summer and long, mild fall.

Harvest Date: 14 October
Grapes: Average Brix 24.9˚
Fermentation: 100% de-stemmed and whole berry fermentation on native yeasts. Pressed at six days. Natural malolactic (half in barrel, half in tank).
Barrels: 100% air-dried American oak barrels; (25% new, 60% one year old, and 15% two years old).
Aging: Twenty months in barrel

Hand harvested, estate-grown grapes; destemmed and whole-berry fermented on the native yeasts, followed by full malolactic on the naturally occurring bacteria; a five fresh egg white fining per barrel to moderate tannins; 0.27 g/l calcium carbonate to moderate high natural acidity; minimum effective sulfur (30 ppm at crush, 105 ppm over the course of aging); pad filtered at bottling. In keeping with our philosophy of minimal intervention, this is the sum of our actions.

Average Rating: 92

No. of Tasting Notes: 6

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