About The Wine
In 2015 our own estate vineyard produced its first harvestable crop of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. With a vineyard of our own, we’ve been able to use the techniques and wisdom passed on to us by local wine-growers, collaborators, and wine legends to cultivate perfectly specific Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for our own winemaking. Pali Vineyard spans 50 acres in Gypsy Canyon of the Sta. Rita Hills appellation in Santa Barbara County. Pali Vineyard afforded us the opportunity to make whole-cluster pressed rosé of Pinot Noir which is by far the superior method to make rosé. After hand harvesting Pinot Noir, grown specifically for this rosé, the grapes are gently pressed into a stainless steel tank. After two days of settling, the juice was racked off its lees into a second tank and then barreled down into 100% neutral French oak barrels for 3 months. Once fermantation began, the barrels were stirred daily with a concerted effort to keep the temperature below 68°F. Each barrel was self-topped via gravity. Our entire winemaking practice for this estate rosé gently mecerates the grapes to extract a delicate amount of color, flavor, and texture from the skins. All of our vineyard designated wines express the nuanced characteristics discovered on remarkably unique and excellent vineyards.
The AVA
With a total area of 30,720 acres, the Sta. Rita Hills AVA is home to over 59 vineyards, totaling 2,700 hundred acres planted to Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and 18 other cool climate wine grape varieties. The combination of a purely East/West maritime throat, poor marine-based soils, elevated calcium in the soil and the Pacific’s cooling influence through fog, wind and moderating summer heat combine to form one of the world’s best cool-climate viticulture areas for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Winemaker Notes
Light aromas of watermelon, nectarine, and pale-pink rose petals are subtle and fresh on the nose of this bottling, which is a single-vineyard rosé. The palate is tense and crisp, offering flavors of pluot and nectarine.
