2022 Birichino Vin Gris Rose California

Product description

Grenache 72%, Carignane 11%, Mourvèdre 7% Cinsault 7%, Rolle 3%

2022 heralds a few modifications to the Vin Gris protocols initiated in 2020 and 2021. While we continue our tightrope practice of direct pressing, settling, racking and adding each variety as it ripens into one single stainless tank, effecting one sequential months-long, cool, native fermentation, we’ve taken to heart the wisdom of Hans-Günther Schwarz, the legendary former winemaker at the estimable German estate Müller-Catoir, who once remarked that "acidity is the fundament of wine." The level of acidity in Vin Gris has never been excessive, though it has been one or twice, a tad on the shy side. For this, and a few other arcane reasons, malolactic is inhibited, yielding a decidely uninhibited brighter, tauter, more vivid wine. Second, old vine Carignane from Montague in Lodi again constitutes a significant percentage of the blend, contributing a vivid violet top-note to the wine. Finally, the Grenache sourcing upgrade begun in 2021 appears no fluke, as a heightened level of refinement and aromatic complexity is recapitulated in the 2022. These practices, along with the significant core contribution of Cinsault and Mourvèdre grapes from 19th century vineyards, and a traditionally meridional assemblage, result in [we hope] a wonderfully prismatic, elevenesque wine with great perfume and sustain; familiar, yet achieving an extra Tufnelian* push over the cliff into – the azure waters of the Mediterranean.