APPELLATIONS
Redwood Valley
McDowell Valley
Mendocino
COMPOSITION
| Syrah | (34%) |
| Carignan | (28%) |
| Grenache | (27%) |
| Viognier | (11%) |
VINIFICATION
Light press
French oak
Drum fermentation
HARVEST
Sept. 8 - 12, 2005
BOTTLED
March 3, 2006
RESIDUAL SUGAR
Dry
ALCOHOL
12.8%
Subio Dry Rosé
Dry Rosé is an easy-drinking summer wine and a versatile
food wine. We decided to create a Southern Rhone-style
wine that would raise the bar for Rosés. Our primary goal
was to maintain California’s renowned big fruit, while
achieving a modest alcohol level and a focused palate with
crisp acidity to hold it together. After searching all of
California, we selected Mendocino as the appellation best
suited to our desired goals.
The result is a Rosé that can be considered a truly great
wine — a wine on par with other classically styled wines.
Vineyard selection and growing season
After searching through the high-quality vineyards in the
Mendocino appellation, we sourced fruit from the
Redwood Valley, McDowell Valley and the Mendocino AVAs,
selecting fruit from the traditional Rhone varietals of Syrah,
Grenache, Carignan, and Viognier. The 2005 growing
season yielded light but intensely flavored fruit. The year
began fairly cool and stayed that way until late August; this
allowed the grapes to achieve fully developed flavors while
maintaining the crisp acidity that we so desired.
Vinification
The grapes were lightly pressed, while a small amount
was left on the skins for a few hours to extract some color
and berry flavors. A portion of the juice was barreled into
French oak, with the balance going directly into stainless
steel drums to begin fermentation. We treated each variety
separately by utilizing complimentary yeast strains to
enhance its individual characteristics. Once all of the lots
were dry, we aged the wines for a short period and allowed a
small amount of malolactic fermentation for roundness.
The final step entailed blending the lots together — the
Syrah’s round, luscious texture coupled with the bright
berry and juicy fruit notes of the Grenache were enhanced
by the sweet spice of the Carignan and tropical flavors
found in Viognier.
Tasting notes
Deep ruby color; the nose shows pomegranate, cranberry
and faint notes of oak. The palate enters with rich, round,
berry fruit and opens to flavors of pomegranate with sweet
spice characters. The firm acidity holds the palate together
while the lush fruit continues to evolve into a raspberry and
guava-driven, well-balanced finish.
Please enjoy this wine well-chilled with friends and
family on a warm summer day and as an accompaniment
to your favorite dishes.
Joseph Wagner
Proprietor and Consulting Winemaker
Stan Montee
Proprietor and Assistant Winemaker
Roger de Lusignan
Proprietor and Apprentice Winemaker
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