2020 2020 Antonella
ANTONELLA is a flourishing flower, with grace and beauty, in Italian. The primary grapes are three varieties commonly grown in the northwest corner of Italy, on the shores of Lake Garda. The reds produced there are bright & lively, meant to serve slightly chilled. Our ANTONELLA is our expression of summer, meant to be enjoyed as an aperitif with friends.
Technical
Tasting Notes
This wine evokes a feeling of walking through a field of flowers on a hot summer’s afternoon. The nose brings forth herbs, like thyme and rosemary, blooming in the spring, followed by bright red apple skin. The color, a beautiful ruby red, is deceiving - this wine has some grip! The Italian varieties shine on the palate - it has crunch, earth, soil, and tannins - and we think a quick decant will help open the wine. It has notes of black pepper, underripe blackberry, and true to Bardolino style, a salted quality that is so unique. This wine transports you to the shores of Lake Garda in Italy - imagine a picnic of charcuterie and cheese, watching wooden boats go by, and a glass of the Antonella to take it all in.
Details
The Dry Creek Valley is located approximately 70 miles north of San Francisco. The history as a grape growing region dates back to the mid-1800s, and through phylloxera and prohibition, has been a thriving & bright location for California wine. While once dominated with Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon, varietals of Italian descent have been making a resurgence in the valley. Across the valley, one can find pockets of these lesser-known varieties, like Corvina, Molinara, and Rondinella, and in 2020, a few of those made up the blend for the ANTONELLA bottling.
Per usual, this wine was picked by an all star team of friends of Raft Wines on September 19, 2020. At the winery, the grapes were 100% destemmed. As this was an area highly impacted by one of the fires of 2020, we elected to keep skin contact to a minimum, allowing only 48 hours in comparison to the traditional 2 weeks. We racked it twice in the very beginning, to again lessen any potential impact from ash / smoke.
The bulk of the primary and secondary fermentation occurred in a puncheon and was closely monitored for any smoke impact. We’re thrilled to get the opportunity to release this wine with no impact from the fires, bottling it unfined and unfiltered on March 23, 2021.