2023 Grenache Gris

The Grenache Gris amazes us every vintage; the color and body vary year to year depending on how the canopy develops and how we ferment it. This year we explored different vessels: some of the fruit went into concrete tank for nearly two weeks of carbonic maceration, while the rest saw a traditional footstomp and three-day maceration before pressing it all together. We split fermentation and aging between concrete tank and two of our sandstone jarres. The Grenache Gris comes from Gibson Ranch in McDowell Valley, just inland of Hopland in Mendocino County, where most of the Grenache vines are over 110 years old. Their age shows: skins vary widely in color from year to year, from sun-soaked pale to darker tones closer to Grenache Noir.

FUN FACT: Vines at Gibson Ranch are more tree-like, stretching over six feet tall.