Vin de Porche (no accent required) is our limited-production rendition of a classic French rosé. Best described by its name, it is meant to be enjoyed well-chilled on your porch with casual foods, especially grilled, spicy fare. The 2010 vintage was crafted entirely from Napa Valley Syrah grapes.
Vineyards
The grapes for our 2010 Vin de Porche came from a vineyard in the cool-climate Carneros region with a history of producing Syrah with bright floral aromas and rich, ripe fruit flavors. Precision harvesting by hand during the coldest evening hours of October 10th preserved this prime fruit’s crisp acidity and fresh fruit flavors, and ensured the perfect level of flavor maturity.
Vintage 2010
The 2010 growing season began with substantial rainfall, which pushed back bud break, flowering and grape set by several weeks. After an unusually cool summer, heat spikes in late August kick-started veraison (coloring of the grapes) and ripening. Cool weather returned in early September, but a glorious Indian summer yielded a late harvest of fruit with mature, concentrated flavors at lower alcohol levels, resulting in a bevy of beautifully structured wines boasting fresh, elegant flavors.
Winemaking
The keys to making a high-quality dry rosé are gentle handling of the fruit; achieving the right balance of expressive aromas, fresh acidity and delicate fruit flavors; and extracting the proper intensity of color. (The longer the juice is in contact with the skins, the deeper the color.) To accomplish these goals, we lightly pressed the whole clusters, maintaining a blanket of CO2 over the juice at all times to limit oxidation. Juice color was carefully monitored, and we drained three separate lots of juice at intervals based on color extraction to increase blending opportunities. We cold-settled all three lots for 36 hours, then transferred the first to a small stainless steel tank and the second and third to neutral oak barrels and 75-gallon stainless steel barrels for fermentation. A cultured yeast strain was selected for its ability to showcase the fruit’s fresh aromas and delicate flavors. The stainless steel fermentations helped bring out the wine’s raspberry and cherry aromas while the neutral oak added softness to the flavors. After three months in a combination of stainless steel and neutral oak barrels, we bottled the wine in January, 2011 for maximum freshness and enjoyment.
Tasting Notes
A pretty salmon color with orange tints introduces fresh cherry and raspberry aromas complemented by pleasing hints of vanilla, straw and candle wax. On the round, softly textured palate, Vin de Porche offers mouthfilling toasted cherry, strawberry and raspberry flavors that segue into a crisp, lively finish imbued with refreshing mineral tones. Enjoy this delightful blush wine over the next 12-18 months with a wide range of foods, including grilled salmon and chicken, country ham, pasta salads, and spicy Asian, Caribbean and Mexican dishes.
