Falling into cooler weather
Hello to all of you from the farm! Here in the foothills we're practically in hibernation, giving thanks for the rain and enjoying the resurgence of the fireplace as a gathering spot. Early, dark evenings mean more time together for reading, resting, and of course, drinking wine.
And we have plenty of wine to share with you, plus some new releases we're so excited for you to try!
*horn announcement sound*
We have three new wines for you all this fall!
The first out the gate is our 2020 Shake Ridge Ranch barbera, from the renowned Shake Ridge Ranch Vineyard here in Amador County. The fruit is of the highest quality and we are so pleased to have an opportunity to work with it! Meant to be enjoyed young, barbera is an Italian varietal that has all the qualities of a light bodied red; very juicy with notes of sour cherry and strawberry jam, with a dark color in the glass and medium-light tannins. The only problem with it as far as we can tell is that it's always gone too soon.
Second in our lineup is our Vin d’Amador red blend. This spicy blend combines the best of our 2018 primitivo with a bold and juicy backing of organically farmed 2019 grenache, syrah and mourvedre. Vin d’Amador was the result of some experiments in the barrel room, but so many customers enjoyed the small run we initially made that we went ahead and mixed up two more barrels. What you'll find in the glass: a rustic, bold blend with notes of baking spices and vanilla, mixed with clove and peppered jerky. It's juicy on the palate with medium acid and tannins, and a structured balanced finish.
Last but not least is the newest vintage of everybody's favorite: the 2020 Infinite Juice carignan. “Infinite Juice” was named after the fact that we made so little of it in 2019 and it sold out immediately, even though we had wanted it to last forever. It’s also a play on the title of a book by David Foster Wallace, “Infinite Jest,” for those literary nerds out there… Infinite Juice was the first carignan that many of our club members had ever tried, and we love that they love it as much as we do. For those who want to know more about this varietal, read on!
Focusing on Carignan:
Carignan is a versatile varietal that’s primarily grown in France and used as a blending grape, though you also find a good amount of it grown in the nearby Central Valley here in California. Known for its baking spice and red fruit characteristics (think cranberry and raspberry), carignan has been experiencing a resurgence in interest as a single, unblended varietal because of its spice, soft tannins and medium high acid. You can think of it as the middle point between pinot noir (high acid, bright fruit notes) and petite syrah (full bodied, baking spice notes).
Our Infinite Juice falls right into this category- woodsy, spiced fruit notes with bright acidity and a medium tannins. It’s lighter than a zinfandel but retains a full fruitiness on the palate. We like it slightly chilled, and it pairs with absolutely everything. Just try it!
This year our Infinite Juice comes from Mule Plane vineyard in the Mokelumne River valley. These vines are head trained and gnarled, nearly 100 years old, and originally farmed by mule-pulled implements, thus the vineyard’s name. It’s grown in the silty, sandy soil of the Mokelumne River that runs nearby, with hot valley heat that keeps grapes ripening through the day and cool delta breeze that drops temperatures significantly at night. This one is fast becoming our favorite varietal, so be sure to grab some bottles before they’re gone! It’s just too good to last long…
