The Little %@#$! Technical Details

Want to Write This ? Here are the technical details you can use. Or not use. You decide!

2006 Sierra Foothills

Preliminary Tasting Notes

Pears Peaches and Apricots!!  Also some buttery/oaky aromas.  Full intense flavors of pears and lemon, with a little bit of vanilla. Great balance and a long finish.

In The Vineyard

The 2006 is a Rhone-style white wine blend with one seriously Twisted attitude!! The Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier are all grown on the Sumu Kaw Vineyard in El Dorado.  Elevation at the vineyard is 2800 feet.  These vines are planted on a steep West-Northwestern slope on a ridge banked by a pine forest on the morning/east side, making it one of the cooler spots in an otherwise warm climate region.  The vines are on a Vertical Shoot Positioned trellis system (VSP) in order to maximize sun exposure to the leaf canopy.  Soils at the site are sandy loam with moderate nutrient levels. 

The remainder of the blend comes from the Tanner Vineyard, which is directly across the highway from our winery.  Here is planted one of the more rare Rhone white varietals, Rolle.  Rolle is characteristically aromatic with good acidity, making it a great compliment to the more common Rhone varieties we use for this blend.

In The Winery

Upon reaching the winery, the fruit was gently crushed and then soaked on the skins to gain some complexity.  After a few hours, the fruit was pressed to remove the clear juice from the skins and seeds.  After pressing, the wine was inoculated with a Rhone yeast strain and the yeast monitored throughout fermentation.  The wine was 100% barrel fermented in 40% new oak which adds to the mouthfeel and completes the nutty flavors.  After 15 days and near the end of primary fermentation, we began stirring the lees (sediment and expired yeast cells) vigorously every week to enhance mouthfeel, for an additional 10 weeks and the wine was bottled after a full 5 months in wood.

The Really Geeky Details

Barrel Program
20% New European Oak
20% New French Oak
60% Neutral Oak

Varietals and Vineyards
41% Marsanne from Sumu Kaw Vineyard
36% Roussanne from Sumu Kaw Vineyard
19% Rolle from Tanner Vineyard
4% Viognier from Sumu Kaw Vineyard

Stats
Average brix - 23.8
Alcohol – 13.8%
Residual Sugar - .03%
pH - 3.62
Titratable Acidity - .58 g/100ml
Volatile Acidity - .059 g/100ml

Comments

[farley]

So, what do you actually call this one? I mean, when people ask for it...do they curse, point, flip the bird?

[el jefe]

I don't tell people what to call it, but I do insist they ask for it by name! Or I offer this as a pronunciation guide...

http://www.twistedoak.com/labels/dontspit.gif

[David J Rodriguez]

...saludos desde Puerto rico, jefe jeff--
That damn white juiceblend looks real good on paper!
Sure do wish I cd meet y'all up @ th Rangers for a taste, also wish I'd caught up on yr blog a little earlier to write my case's worth of *@crap#!* for yr back label...
I may have to talk one of my merchant friends into bringing yr wines to these southern parts--
have a great time in town-- but then you always do!
djr