2023 Cinsaut
Cinsaut exudes charm at every stage of the winegrowing process. In the vineyard its prized by workers as a tasty snack on a hot day in the field, then, during the alchemy of fermentation, its tanks suffuse the winery with a bake-shop, cherry-pie headiness. Finally, in your bottle its a low-ish alcohol, exuberantly medium-bodied vin de soif that brings delight and camaraderie to drinkers of all stripes no matter their typical go-to style. These days, we ferment and age it in the simplest ways possible to lets its inherent virtues shine through: a 100% whole-cluster fermentation is pressed off after a short maceration to neutral oak puncheons (barrels, but twice as big), and bottled without filtration just before the next harvest.
In 2022 the Cinsaut fruit weathered a record-breaking heat wave with grace, thanks to its deep, dry-farmed roots, and delivered plump clusters of intensely-flavored fruit at harvest in late September. The resulting wine is an adult berry-punch of sorts, juicy and delicious with just enough herbal and savory accents to bring some fruity/savory tension and sophistication. Medium bodied with clean, soft tannin, this Cinsaut goes down easy enjoy it with friends anytime over the next 5 years. --GH
Grapes are certified organic (CCOF).
Fermentation is initiated spontaneously without the addition of commercial yeast or malolactic bacteria
100% Cinsaut
13.4% Alcohol
TA: 5.7 g/L
pH: 3.70