2023 Rose of Carignan, Mendocino County
Just like last year, this Rosè of Carignan comes exclusively from Rory & Vince Bartolomei’s vineyard in Talmage, Mendocino. You have turn your clock back 100 years when you visit Talmage, a special place where locals still ride into town on horseback. These two brothers look like they walked off the set of a Quintin Tarantino movie—such distinctive characters, so tied to a specific time and place. Their ranch was planted more than 80 years ago and the soldiering old vines have have been dry-farmed there for generations. As their neighbors ripped out their heirloom vines to make way for cannabis, the Bartolomei’s stayed the course with Carignan.
Some healthy looking clusters came in on the morning of October 9th—a full month later than in 2022—with textbook chemistry: 21.1 brix / 3.2 pH / 7.1 g/L and finishing abv of 13%. To manage color uptake we elected not to crush the fruit before pressing it. This direct-to-press method reduced our juice yield but gave us the pale salmon colored wine we were seeking. The hallmark characteristics are there--the white guava, peach pit, chrysanthemum, and chalky mineral notes. This 2023 is savory and soil driven and you will want to empty the bottle in one sitting with some Baja-style fish tacos or a BLT.
WINEMAKER’S NOTE: The hue of this wine was so striking we elected not to cold stabilize or filter it. As such it might throw some tartrate crystals. They are harmless and a sign of the wine’s natural process. Enjoy!
If you're interested in an allocation or joining our wine club to have access to these wines, please contact us at info@liocowine.com.