Vineyard

Weatherwise, 2023 was a year for the record books. We received 50”+ of rain (average is 35”). We also had a cold Winter and Spring; normally, our vines bud out in early March; due to the low temperatures, they did not start growing until April. Warm days and cool nights during the Summer were ideal for flavor development, but because of the delay in the growing season, harvest for all of our wines began at least three weeks later than normal. Harvest began on October 9.

Cellar

During Harvest, as the Malbec grapes are sorted, we drain off 15% of the juice to intensify the color and the flavors of our Next Red. Called “saignée” by the French (which means to bleed), this technique intensifies the character of red wines. Thanks to our love of Rosé, we followed the French tradition and fermented the drained juice to produce Rosé. Due to the popularity of this wine, we now incorporate a second Rosé production technique: “direct to press”. We pick a small portion of the Malbec grapes and press them immediately.

Using only Malbec grapes, we fermented the 2023 Rosé cold at 52°F in a temperature-controlled stainless steel tank to retain its intense fruity components. We carefully monitored the temperature and rate of fermentation to ensure that the wine is fruit-forward and well-balanced with a fresh, lively finish.

Drinkability

The 2023 Rosé opens with a lovely, fruit-forward bouquet of ripe strawberries, rose petals, watermelon and powdered candies. Bright, fresh and lively, it has a supple mid-palate and a long, lingering finish.

At Harvest:

22.5° Brix
0.67 g/100 mls TA
3.35 pH

At Bottling:

13.8% alcohol
0.62 g/100 mls TA
3.51 pH