Winemaker Notes
The growing season of 2003 was a study in deception. Each time we thought we had a handle on Mother Nature; she spun out of our grasp. Spring broke through early, with a very warm and dry March, resulting in an early bud break. Then the door slammed shut. April was one of the wettest and coldest on record. This slowed grape development to a crawl. After all this rain, we needed to dry out, and dry out we did with the hottest July on record. The intense heat also acted to slow down maturation of the fruit, resulting in harvest being delayed about a month compared to the average. All this in a year that started out early! Luckily, the winter rains held off just long enough to allow all the fruit to reach full maturity.
WINEMAKING
Our Nebbiolo grapes are picked at relatively low sugars to make a more delicate rose style. As the enormous clusters arrive at the winery, they are destemmed, lightly crushed, and pumped immediately to the press. It is crucial to press the juice off the skins as quickly and gently as possible, avoiding extraction of harsh tannins into the delicately structered juice. Fifteen percent of the juice is fermented in small oak barrels, the balance in stainless steel at 50 degrees. At this cool of a temperature, the fermentation took one full month! Long, slow, cold fermentations allow the delicate aromas and flavors of this blush to come to the fore.
WINEMAKER NOTES
Montevina's 2003 Nebbiolo Rosato is a real flirt. Bright peach color warms the glass, while aromas of peach, pink grapefruit and jasmine invoke memories of warm spring afternoons on the veranda. Soft, slightly sweet flavors of fresh peach and citrus fruits invite sip after sip. This is a wine perfectly suited for a summer day by the pool, or a winters' eve snuggled up by the fire.
Whether it’s playful and fun or savory and serious, most rosé today is not your grandmother’s White Zinfandel, though that category remains strong. Pink wine has recently become quite trendy, and this time around it’s commonly quite dry. Since the pigment in red wines comes from keeping fermenting juice in contact with the grape skins for an extended period, it follows that a pink wine can be made using just a brief period of skin contact—usually just a couple of days. The resulting color depends on grape variety and winemaking style, ranging from pale salmon to deep magenta.
Originally a source of oenological sustenance for gold-seeking miners of the mid-1800s, the Sierra Foothills was the first region in California to produce wines from European grape varieties. Located between Sacramento and the Nevada border, this area’s immigrant settlers chose to forgo growing the then-ubiquitous Mission grape and instead brought with them superior vines from the Old World to plant alongside mining camps.
Zinfandel has been the most important variety of this region since its inception, taking on a spicy character with brambly fruit and firm structure. Amador and El Dorado counties, benefiting from the presence of volcanic and granite soils, are home to the best examples. Bold, robust Rhône Blends and Barbera are also important regional specialties.