Winemaker Notes
Blend: 62% Greco, 38% Falanghina
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Gemina has outstanding energy. A blend of 62% Grecco and the rest Falanghina, this more Southern-Italian-inspired wine is a rich straw color and is expressive on opening, with notes of melon honeydew, tangerine peel, fresh herbs, and citrus blossoms. Savory and snappy, it comes to life on the palate with a crystalline texture, a bright lift of fresh citrus-toned acidity, and a salty finish.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Gemina is a blend of 62% Greco and 38% Falanghina matured for six months in used French oak and stainless steel. Its orchard fruit aromas are accented by touches of roasted hazelnuts, saline and desiccated jasmine. The palate is concentrated and pleasantly grippy. Its natural richness is foiled by taut acidity, and it has a long, lemony finish.
-
Wine Spectator
Fresh and exciting for its vibrancy and sleek frame, with notes of celery salt, yuzu, lime and fresh-grated ginger, plus lingering accents of lemon blossoms, apple skin and sweet grass. Greco and Falanghina. Drink now. 843 cases made.
-
Wine Enthusiast
This white blend is an Italian celebration of 62% Greco and 38% Fallanghina. Racy high acid gives the wine a sense of energy from start to finish and elevates the fresh aromas and flavors of apple, pear, lemon, lime, chamomile, lemongrass and white pepper.
With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
One of the world's most highly regarded regions for wine production as well as tourism, the Napa Valley was responsible for bringing worldwide recognition to California winemaking. In the 1960s, a few key wine families settled the area and hedged their bets on the valley's world-class winemaking potential—and they were right.
The Napa wine industry really took off in the 1980s, when producers scooped up vineyard lands and planted vines throughout the county. A number of wineries emerged, and today Napa is home to hundreds of producers ranging from boutique to corporate. Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely the grape of choice here, with many winemakers also focusing on Bordeaux blends. White wines from Napa Valley are usually Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that claim specific wine characteristics based on situation, slope and soil. Farthest south and coolest from the influence of the San Pablo Bay is Carneros, followed by Coombsville to its northeast and then Yountville, Oakville and Rutherford. Above those are the warm St. Helena and the valley's newest and hottest AVA, Calistoga. These areas follow the valley floor and are known generally for creating rich, dense, complex and smooth red wines with good aging potential. The mountain sub appellations, nestled on the slopes overlooking the valley AVAs, include Stags Leap District, Atlas Peak, Chiles Valley (farther east), Howell Mountain, Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain District and Diamond Mountain District. Napa Valley wines from the mountain regions are often more structured and firm, benefiting from a lot of time in the bottle to evolve and soften.