Rafts of Anjou pear, yellow delicious apple and white rose, off the wall a little later are kumquat, butterscotch, cinnamon and a hint of lilac. By mouth honey crisp apple tart, sweet plantain, lemon curd, and Puerto Rican Papaya jostle deliciously and are conveyed throughout by a bright, luscious, and though hard to believe, absolutely sugarless finish.
Viticulture
Made from our two mature vineyards in the Russian River Valley. The Slusser Ranch was planted in 1992 on Cortina gravelly loam. Although there is irrigation, it is seldom needed. The Home Ranch was planted in 1990 on Wright loam, which sometimes requires irrigation during heat spells.
Vinification
Hand harvested at night, picked into half-ton bins, and hauled the short distance to the winery. Once the grapes arrived, they hand-sorted the fruit and whole cluster pressed them while still cold. The juice was cold settled, allowed to begin fermentation, and then moved to 60-gallon French and European barrels, where it underwent a partial malolactic fermentation. The wine was aged in 20% new and 29% six-month-old barrels for six months.