2022 Ojo De Perdiz Rose, Cole Ranch

Ojo Rosè has been without a perennial vineyard source from the jump. In the winter of 2022 we got serious about finding a permanent home for this wine. We were seeking some organically farmed Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from a compelling site that could be picked and co-fermented on the same morning. Enter: Mike and Jill Lucia, Healdsburg friends and new proprietors at America's Smallest AVA, The Cole Ranch. As soon as the ink was dry on their deed we were blowing them up about buying some fruit. On our first visit to the Cole Ranch, we knew we had found a special place. And on September 15th, a few of us hand-picked 2 tons of Pinot Noir (81%) and .46 tons (19%) of Chardonnay and sent it directly-to-press. The wine was co-fermented on wild yeasts in neutral barrels, completed a slow malolactic fermentation, and was bottled unfiltered.

The result? A chorus of zingy red currants, pomelo, pink peppercorns, and crushed rock. This is serious, soil-driven pink that wants a simple dish like poached salmon. If you like Clos Cibonne or Chateau Simone, give this Ojo a whirl.