2010 The Outlier
This is our third release of this ‘dryish’ Gewurztraminer using fruit from a vineyard up in Los Alamos, about 15 miles north of Los Olivos. The vineyard sits in an area that gets cool nights and warm days. The cool nights allow the grapes to retain their natural acidity better, and the warm days allow the grapes to ripen nicely.
The 2010 vintage was marked by decent rains in the spring but a very long, cool summer. Ripening happened much slower than usual, and the clusters of Gewurztraminer were quite tiny, leading to truly concentrated flavors.
The grapes were gently pressed and fermented cool in a stainless steel tank for about 45 days until dryness, then transferred to stainless steel drums for about 5 months of aging. The hard press was fermented in an old oak barrel ain a cool place for about 30 days. When it reached the desired sweetness level, fermentation was ceased by adding SO2 and cooling the subsequent wine down further. This slightly sweet barrel was then added to the larger lot just before bottling, giving the wine a touch of sweetness. This wine actually has about 1% residual sugar (about 10 grams per liter), making it ‘dry’ in most circles. It also has about 7 grams of acid per liter, which balances the sweetness and gives the wine the ability to be consumed on its own without being cloying.
This is a wine that pairs perfectly with spicy foods (Thai, Indian, sushi, Chinese . . . even a Buffalo Chicken Salad!) but is versatile enough to pair with lavendar Creme Brulee as well.
About 125 cases were produced.
- Description
- The Outlier - Gewurztraminer
