2019 Gonsalves Carignane

Rich garnet-red color. Nose of red berry fruit, peppery spice, and sweet oak. Briar fruit on entry with spicy tannins and savory notes of forest floor and exotic dried herbs. EB (9/20)

Our love for carignane inspired this search for century-old vines in Contra Costa. The Gonsalves’ vineyard, planted in the 1880s, is situated on sandy soils deposited by the Sacramento River. They purchased it and began farming in the 1930s. This warm climate, east of San Francisco, receives cooling afternoon wind off San Pablo Bay. By taste, we picked early, making an elegant wine that shows the beauty of carignane. Appealing now, it can be enjoyed over the next four to six years.

Our love for carignane inspired this search for century-old vines in Contra Costa. The Gonsalves’ vineyard, planted in the 1880s, is situated on sandy soils deposited by the Sacramento River. They purchased it and began farming in the 1930s. This warm climate, east of San Francisco, receives cooling afternoon wind off San Pablo Bay. This is our first wine produced from this vineyard.

Rainfall: 13 inches (below normal)
Bloom: Early May
Weather: Hot, dry summer with afternoon winds

Harvest Dates: 31 August & 2 September
Grapes: Average Brix 23.2˚
TA: 5.86 g/L
pH: 3.59
Fermentation: Natural primary and secondary (malolactic) fermentations; pressed at six days.
Barrels: 100% air-dried American oak barrels (100% five years-old).
Aging: Thirteen months in barrel

Hand-harvested, sustainably grown grapes; destemmed and crushed; fermented on the native yeasts, followed by a full malolactic on the naturally occurring bacteria; oak from barrel aging; minimum effective sulfur for this wine (35 ppm at crush, 72 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: 89.6

No. of Tasting Notes: 30

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