2020 Sta. Rita Hills Grenache - Delta

Soil. Vines. Wines.  This is the order in which great wine is made.  Ampelos is the Greek word for vine.  The Greek symbol Delta: “the difference” is used mathematically  to symbolize a difference.  The ultimate expression of this Grenache comes through the extended hang time of the grapes in our coastal climate.     

The relationship we cultivate with our land is paramount in producing hand crafted, minimally invasive wines that both whisper and shout about the terroir from which they are grown.  Our Ampelos Vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills is the first in the US to be certified sustainable, organic and biodynamic.  Our commitment to natural farming and winemaking is evident in every sip.

Wine Making Style

• The fruit spent the night in a cold room to drop the fruit temperature
• The grapes were de-stemmed into 1 ½ ton open top fermenters
• Cold soaked for 3-4 days until the native yeast fermentation started
• After 12-16 days, with 2 daily punch downs, we drained the free-run (~80%) and gave the remainder a gentle press
• We separated the free run, press off the rest and barrel down the batches
• Then the second fermentation (converts malolatic acid to lactic acid) kicks in utilizing the natural wild malolactic bacteria 
• The wine was racked twice during the barrel aging
• The wine is unfined and unfiltered