2015 Blowout Rosé 96% Lost Slough Vineyard
44% LOURREIRO
34% GRÜNER
18% VERDELHO
4% ZINFANDEL
The Rosé is a simple variation on the Blanc that somehow resulted in a completely different wine. We decided in advance that we would make nearly as much Rosé as Blanc in 2015, and that the second wine would simply be based on the first. In order to make it, we bottled about two-thirds of of the Blanc that we made (see the Blanc fact sheet) and then took the remaining wine and began assessing blends for charm and beauty. We tried blending in some Cinsault from Bechtold, and it was good, but too fruity; we tried everything in the cellar and it was fun. The best match was Zinfandel from the old, own-rooted vines in the Stampede vineyard in Lodi. It offered just the right degree of plummy charm, a little tannin, a little more acid, and produced a beautiful color. We tried proportions from 1% to 6% and settled quickly on 4% as the perfect addition.
The Zin somehow completely reoriented the aromatics of the wine: it is still savory and somewhat funky, but much less challenging, and much more appropriately charming, than the Blanc. For us, it is the triumph of the vintage.
Total production about 300 cases.