2016 2016 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 fruits. The red fruits continue on the palate, with strawberry, followed by rose petal and crisp apple.
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 varietals, and in 2016, a few of those made up the blend for the ANTONELLA bottling.
As the last pick of the 2016, we woke up early and eager to get the grapes off the vine. A small crew of close friends helped me pick the 0.4 tons of fruit, quickly and eagerly before the heat set in with the late summer sun.
Once at the winery, the grapes were 100% destemmed. For 17 days, the grapes fermented into wine naturally, with a gentle morning and evening punchdown. The wine was gently pressed to preserve the bright fruit character, and barreled into a neutral barrel for malolactic fermentation.
The wine was racked & returned to finishing aging in early Spring, and bottled unfined and unfiltered on May 9, 2017.