2022 • Benchlands 2022

Benchlands 2022

Varietal:

40% Petite Sirah, 30% Zinfandel, 20% Nero d’Avola, 4% Valdiguié, 4% Colombard, 2% Carignan

Alcohol:

12.5%

Vinification Notes:

Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, and Nero d’Avola were each fermented separately in small batches while the Carignan, Valdiguié, and Colombard grapes were harvested and co-fermented as one lot (red and white grapes together!). The components were kept separate after pressing and aged in neutral oak barrique. Racked, blended, and bottled after 6 months. Unfined. Unfiltered. Sediment expected.

Vineyard:

Petite Sirah from Bricarelli Ranch, Ukiah, Mendocino County, 16-year-old head-trained, dry-farmed (non-irrigated) vineyard, farmed by us to organic principles (no pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers); gravelly loam soils.

Petite Sirah, Nero d’Avola, and Zinfandel from Ling-Chiarito Vineyard, Talmage, Mendocino County; dry-farmed (non-irrigated) vineyard, farmed by us according to organic principles (no pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers); gravelly loam soils.

Carignan, Colombard, and Valdiguié from Ricetti Vineyard, Redwood Valley, Mendocino County; planted in 1948; dry-farmed (non-irrigated), certified organic vineyard; gravelly loam soils

Martha's Notes

Benchlands 2022 continues our Cal-Italia exploration of Mendocino County’s uplifted benchland soils, where Italian farming families first planted vineyards (reserving the rich valley floors for vegetables). All of the vineyards in this blend are planted on those uplifted benchlands and are dry-farmed (non-irrigated). Through a mix of gentler fermentation techniques and white and red grape co-fermentation, Benchlands is reminiscent of a Cerasuolo—somewhere between a dark rosé and a light red wine, highlighted by floral aromatics and a bright, fruitful core.