Diving Into the 2023 Fall Wine Releases
2022 divergent vine “A Touch of Gray Rock” - El Dorado Co. Red Wine
A wine as vibrant and eclectic as the touring band from San Francisco, this red wine blend plays on the duality of bright red notes of strawberry and roses delivered by the Sangiovese and bright purple notes of bramble fruit, dark cherry and Santa Rosa plumb from the Zinfandel. We added just a touch of our Gold Dust Vineyard Primitivo to bring depth and tannin structure, creating an awe-inspiring blend of contrasting characteristics that form a harmonious and composed wine.
Perfect enjoyed as a solo act, but also sings with a variety of foods from pizza and pasta to BBQ.
46% Sangiovese
46% Zinfandel
8% Estate Primitivo
All grapes fermented 25% whole cluster, 75% destemmed
9 months of aging in old French Oak barrels
213 cases produced
2022 divergent vine “Gold Dust Vineyard” Estate Primitivo
Primitivo is an Italian clone of Zinfandel, but while the two grapes are genetically identical, the subsequent wines they produce drink very different in the glass. While California Zinfandel tends to be juicy, sometimes macerated and jammy fruit, medium acidity and no tannin, the smaller clustered and (more importantly) smaller berried Primitivo presents a layered and textured complexity that is often lacking in Zinfandel.
Primitivo thrives in the rocky, shallow soils of the Gold Dust Vineyard, and yield a wine with rustic aromas of wet stone, earth and dark chocolate. Don’t be fooled though as this wine is bursting with flavors of boysenberry, blackberry, and raspberry on the mid-palate, which finish off in a highly structured and food-friendly wine. I love this wine because it presents itself in many different ways during the tasting experience, which keep me coming back
Pair with any variety of Italian dishes, but my personal favorite pairing is with a juicy, medium rare hamburger.
100% Estate Primitivo
Fermented 25% whole cluster, 75% destemmed
10 months of aging in old French Oak barrels
97 cases produced
2022 Conduit “Gold Dust Vineyard” Estate Syrah
Our estate Syrah needed a little more hang time on the vine in 2022, so we didn’t co-ferment our Syrah with Viognier for the first time since we moved to the property. While I love the Côte Rôtie style co-ferment, the season gave us an opportunity to showcase the power and finesse of Syrah we grow in the granitic soils of our ridgeline. The grapes were fermented 80% whole cluster, 20% destemmed for 28 days before the juice was pressed into old French Oak barrels and aged for 12 months.
In contrast to our Syrah-Viognier co-ferment, this lighter Syrah opens with inviting savory notes of leather, green peppercorn and black olive, which lead into flavors of black currant, Açaí, and mountain bramble fruit, seamlessly finishing with medium-plus tannin and bright acidity. Personally, I love drinking Syrah on its own and exploring the rich complexity of the grape, but it also makes a tremendous pairing with a variety of meats and steak and would be perfect pairing with a little Holiday Prime Rib or roasted lamb.
100% Estate Syrah
140 cases produced
Fall 2023 Wine Club Shipment
3 BOTTLE SHIPMENT
2022 divergent vine “A Touch of Gray Rock” – El Dorado Co. Red Wine
2022 divergent vine “Gold Dust Vineyard” Estate Primitivo
2022 Conduit “Gold Dust Vineyard” Estate Syrah
6 BOTTLE SHIPMENT
(The three wines above plus…)
2022 divergent vine Clarksburg “Rollin’ on Skinz” – skin contact Chenin Blanc
2022 Fair Play Grenache
2020 “Gold Dust Vineyard” Estate Tempranillo
12 BOTTLE SHIPMENT
The six wines above, plus this fun selection of vertical year and library wines, exclusively available in the 12 x 2 shipment
2014 Sonoma County Cabernet Franc – Merlot Red Blend (Deep Cut library selection)
2021 divergent vine “Gold Dust Vineyard” Estate Syrah – Viognier co-ferment
2021 divergent vine “Gold Dust Vineyard” Estate Primitivo
2022 Conduit Fair Play Rosé of Grenache
2019 diveregnt vine Amador County “Shake Ridge Ranch” Zinfandel