2022 • Vermentino 2022

Vermentino 2022

Varietal:

90% Vermentino, 10% Sauvignon blanc

Alcohol:

13%

Vinification Notes:

Direct-to-press Vermentino (and a few clusters of Sauvignon blanc) first settled overnight and then racked off gross juice lees to ferment and age on fine lees in a 1200L stoneware jarre for 6 months. This jarre is crafted from sandstone and fired at over 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit, creating a much tighter porosity compared to wood and an aging environment that further showcases the bright and fresh varietal expression. Unfined. Unfiltered. Sediment expected.

Vineyard:

Venturi Vineyard, Calpella, Mendocino County; dry-farmed (non-irrigated), certified organic vineyard; Pinole gravelly loam soils.

Martha's Notes

When Larry Venturi planted a small parcel of his vineyard to Vermentino—along the quartz scattered, stony spine that snakes through his property reminding us where the Russian River flowed hundreds of years ago—and asked me if I’d like to make wine from it, I didn’t hesitate. Larry had never grown Vermentino, but being half Tuscan and half Piedmontese, doesn’t shy away from Italian grapes. Moreso, Larry knows his land and climate—it’s hot and dry—and he thought Vermentino, which thrives on the arid island of Sardinia, would also thrive in his little corner of inland Mendocino. Plus, he said, “Vermentino is a nice grape, kind of between a good Sauvignon blanc and Chardonnay.” As with his other parcels, this Vermentino is dry-farmed (non-irrigated) and head-trained, which concentrates both the flavor and acidity of this wine. This wine is a complex sipper, best with food. I’m glad to know Larry, I’m overjoyed he’s still experimenting well into his 70’s, and I feel honored that he came to me to bring this new parcel into wine. It also feels pretty good that he immediately ordered two cases upon trying the resulting wine!