2009 Vin Gris (Dry
Rosé)
History
This is the
third vintage of Vin Gris we’ve made at Dashe. The 2009
bottling is similar to last year’s Vin Gris: an extremely drinkable, balanced
rosé with a long finish. The color is beautiful, and the wine goes down very,
very easily. Where it differs from the 2008 is in its composition. It increases
the amount of Grenache in the blend (50%), and blends in 30% Petite Sirah and 20%
Zinfandel from our top blocks of Dry Creek Valley fruit, for added complexity
and balance.
We feel that
the Grenache makes all the difference.
It adds a texture and mouthfeel that is perfect for this kind of
wine—rich enough to make for a complex rosé, but light enough to support the
delicacy of the wine. We finished our
Vin Gris like a classic European rosé, mostly dry, with hints of strawberry and
raspberry fruit, a crisp structure, and a long, fruit-driven finish.
Production
To make this
Vin Gris we “bled off” juice from tanks of Grenache, Petite Sirah and top
Zinfandel lots. This technique—used in France for generations—allows us to
concentrate the flavors in certain lots by reducing the amount of juice in
contact with the skins. We waited about ten hours to allow the juice to pick up
just enough color, and then bled the tanks through a stainless steel screen.
As is our
tradition with all of our Dashe wines, we used the native yeasts on the grapes
to conduct the fermentation. Timing is everything in a rosé—we need to have the
juice in contact with the skins long enough to pick up a lovely color and
attractive flavors, but not so long as to pick up unwanted tannins that can
create harshness, or a rough finish.
We kept the
fermentation temperature moderate, in the 65-degree range. This longish
fermentation preserved the naturally lovely fruit aromatics, while helping to
develop lush, complex flavors in the finished wine. To highlight the varietals’
delicate fruit and accentuate the wine’s long, crisp, clean finish, it was allowed
to finish fermentation naturally—just off-dry. After fermentation, it was kept
in its stainless steel tank, filtered to remove the yeast and particulate
matter, and bottled in December to ensure fresh fruit flavors.
Tasting Notes
Color : Strawberry-red.
Aroma:
Beautiful deep wild strawberry, raspberry, and cherry mixed with mineral
and spice.
Flavors: Beautiful mineral and strawberry fruit
on entry, along with raspberry, and dried cherry notes. Rich, balanced, mouth-filling texture. Long, sweet, luscious finish. Perfect when slightly chilled.
Number of cases
produced: 97 cases (750 ml)
Date released: April 2, 2010
Price: $14
suggested retail
