2018 Grenache, Clarksburg

History

These Grenache grapes are grown on a flat, rocky, former riverbed along the San Joaquin delta near the town of Clarksburg. Although the days are quite warm, the nights are quite cool because cold air and fog from the ocean flow up the river valley at night which chills down the vines. These hot days and cold nights result in fruit with bright, vibrant aromatics and great acidity. We love the fresh, red fruit of these Grenache grapes, which produce one of the most drinkable and lovely wines we produce at Dashe Cellars. Because of the way we make this wine—fermented with the native yeasts on the grapes; aged in large, French oak barrels; unfined; and bottled with low SO2 levels—we felt this is an ideal addition to our Les Enfants Terribles (the “Wild Children”) series, wines made in an Old World style. The resulting purity of flavor, velvety texture, and lush midpalate is a break from the brash, fruit-forward style of many Californian wines.

Production

The grapes were harvested in the middle of the night to keep the grapes very cold and maintain the fruit aromatics and acidity. Since we loved the character of the fruit, we aged the wine in one of our 900-gallon French oak casks from Burgundy (15 times the size of a “normal” French oak barrel). By using the larger oak vessel, we intentionally kept this wine away from heavy oak influences, and the short aging process enhanced the lovely fruit character of the wine.

Production: 389 cases

Tasting Notes