2018 Estate Grenache Blanc
This wine is a model of Grenache Blanc’s potential for pure, graceful, and complex expression when grown in a cool-climate site. Bright pale straw, the 2018 Dovecote Grenache Blanc brings in fresh aromatics of citrus, nectarine, and exotic melon with a palate of asian pear and starfruit. A perfect bottle to enjoy with a picnic basket of charcuterie, nuts, and cheeses.
Vineyard Notes
Established in 1990, Thompson Vineyard lies just inland from California’s windswept Central Coast on the eastern side of the cool San Antonio Creek Valley in Northern Santa Barbara County. It rests within the Alisos Canyon corridor where transverse mountain ranges flood the area with daily fog and ocean air, extending chilly mornings and afternoons, softening midday heat, and yielding cold and often icy nights.
Planted to primarily Rhone varietals, here the vines sit on their own roots in alluvial sand over a deep foundation of white limestone that once comprised the floor of the Pacific Ocean. Thompson Vineyard naturally produces extremely small, slow, and evenly-ripening yields that often stretch harvests well into late November, resulting in deeply complex cool-climate wines that evolve gracefully with age.
Winemaking Notes
Fruit was harvested by hand at night on October 12, 2018. The fruit was then pressed whole cluster, racked directly to barrel, and fermented in stainless steel with no secondary fermentation. It was bottled February 19, 2019 and is ready to enjoy now and over the coming 2-4 years.
- Vintage
- 2018
- Varietal
- 100% Grenache Blanc
- Vineyard
- Thompson Vineyard
- Vine Age
- 27 Years
- Clone
- 141
- Rootstock
- Own
- Soil
- Shaley Loam
- Farming
- Sustainable
- Appellation
- Alisos Canyon, Los Alamos Valley, Santa Barbara County
- Climate
- Cool I/II
- Brix
- 22.1
- Aging
- 100% Stainless Steel
- pH
- 3.30
- ABV
- 13.3%
- Cases
- 69