Vintage 2021 brought a mercifully gentle growing season to the Napa Valley, following the challenging 2020 harvest: no major heat spikes, a relatively long, mild late summer, and most importantly, no local fires and smoke. The story of the year was the continued drought, which kicked off the growing season at a disadvantage. It was a year of haves and have-nots, in which the growers with adequate well water were able to establish and ripen a decent crop, while others had no water, and struggled to keep vines healthy throughout the high demand of wine grape ripening. Some of the latter group either had to drop some fruit, or in the worst cases, relinquish the entire crop for the season. For some, the good news was that the stress of the prior year led to a small crop, allowing even those with limiting circumstances to still produce a high-quality, ripened crop, aided by the mild weather. For most, the bad news was also the small crop, following the 2020 vintage in which the fires and smoke prompted many winemakers to bring in less fruit or skip the vintage entirely. The silver lining around the 2021 harvest was that most growers were able to produce a healthy crop, and the wines from the vintage display a beautiful purity and freshness, coupled with ripe flavors at naturally lower alcohol levels.

Tasting Notes
The 2021 Rose was made in a style to display bright aromas in a delicate frame. We used whole-cluster pressing on the Grenache portion to highlight freshness and brightness, while the saignée method on the Syrah contributed some deeper, darker notes and structure. The stainless steel fermentation helped preserve the brightness of the whole-cluster portion, while the batonnage (lees stirring) on the barrel-fermented portions lent a creamy mouthfeel and subtle layers.  This rosé shows a gorgeous pale pink hue, reminiscent of the great rosé wines of southern France. Notes of candied fruit and honey frame the hibiscus flower and white strawberry aromas. This wine is refreshingly light-footed yet balanced, with bright acidity and a creamy mouthfeel. The approachable yet viscous palate delivers on what the nose promises: light strawberry and floral flavors, with a clean and pleasant finish. This is a lively wine made for enjoying with friends and family, lightly chilled on a warm afternoon.