2022 Grist Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc

We always agreed that we’d only be temped to produce the variety if we could get our hands on Grist’s grapes, and finally Woody Hambrecht relented. We can be quite exhausting when we put our minds to it. Because this SB is 100% musqué clone, the aromatics are turned up to 11. While the bright, citrusy meyer lemon and key lime components can be expected from a tart variety on a tart site, it’s the hint of herbal chartreuse that really helps us pat ourselves on the back. Some extra time in neutral barrel also aided in building a velvety soft mouthfeel despite quite a bit of pucker. 2022 in particular was expressive in ground cherries and pineapple sage. Yum!

Grapes were foot tread and then direct pressed whole cluster upon arrival at winery. Fruit fermented in stainless steel until dryness, then was racked into a combination of stainless steel drums and neutral barrels. Native primary and secondary ferments, unfined/unfiltered. Because of a shared winery facility and the nature of low-intervention winemaking, we had some minor fermentation gurgles in 2022 that warranted a tiny bit more so2 being added to this bad boy. Still minimal, but transparency is key!

2022 Stampede Vineyard Heritage Red Blend

The vineyard that started it all! As always, Stampede continues to be a pillar upon which our sanity lies each harvest. Jeff Perlegos, owner and farmer, being at the helm of this historic site means that our sole job with this fruit is simply not to get in it’s way. With flavors that embody Lodi’s combination of wild west saloon culture and produce-growing paradise, this Zin based blend (that includes Mission, Alicante, Syrah, Grenache and Tokay) rides the fine line of serious and chuggable. California rodeo dust is our favorite flavor descriptor of this site, with heaps of wild brush herbs and watermelon candy to boot. 2022 Stampede is particularly plummy with heaps of dried thyme.

Grapes were 2/3 destemmed aupon arrival at winery, and 1/3 was left whole cluster. Fruit fermented on skins (and some stems, obv) in neutral vessel until dryness, then pressed into neutral barrels. Native primary and secondary ferments, unfined/unfiltered, and minimal So2 before bottling was the only addition.

2021 Grist Vineyard Syrah

This is special!!! We love this wine. That much is known. But year after year it’s at the 12 month mark after release that we feel it really starts to shine. Because of that, we decided to hold some of last year’s Syrah release back in order to begin over-vintaging in order to bring a more mature wine to you at the time of release. It tastes SO. GOOD.

While there’s no such thing as a bad block at the site, we like to think we get the best of the best when it comes to this Syrah at Grist Vineyard. Our “section” of this vineyard is the far west terraced block that tends to ripen the slowest. From here we get the best views of the wild Sonoma west coast forests full of deer, boar, coyote and bobcats. Grist is always generous when it comes to both acid and juicy fruit-driven qualities in its’ wines, but where we really get heart-eyed emojis for this wine is in it’s savory components. This year the spicy and savory black tea and tobacco components really shone especially when paired up with curranty, berry goodness.

Grapes were 50% destemmed upon arrival at winery. Fruit fermented on skins in neutral vessel until dryness, then pressed into neutral barrels. Native primary and secondary ferments, unfined/unfiltered, and minimal So2 before bottling was the only addition.