Limited Addition 2021 Rosé of Mencia & Cab Franc

Origin: Willamette Valley, Oregon

Grapes: 55% Mencía & 45% Cabernet Franc

About The Wine & Winemaking Process: 

As with all of our rosé, they are unique expressions that challenge what the category of rosé has become, and this example is no exception.

Deeply pomegranate hued this completely dry rose has an abundance of red fruits and spices inherent to the grape varieties it has been pressed from, Mencia and Cabernet franc. We love the juicy pomegranate and raspberry flavors that are dusted with white pepper and licorice. This wine walks the line between quaffable rosé and structured light-chilled red and we love how flexible this wine is from porch to table.

Made from the first Mencia vines planted in the Willamette Valley in 2017. As these vines mature and provide us with more fruit each year, we love to explore what this variety is capable of here in this valley. In 2021, the low yields and warmth of the vintage gave us small deeply colored berries, thus when cold-soaked the Mencia on its skins for just a few days the color pickup was intense! The Mencia was pressed into neutral oak barrels for fermentation to dryness.

Meanwhile, our young vines of Cabernet franc are incredibly precocious and in 2020 we made part of the block into a Cabernet franc Pet-Nat rosé, which we loved. Alas, in 2021 supply chain shortages of sparkling glass meant that our Cabernet franc rosé fermented to dryness and could not be made into sparkling wine. An experiment with blends found that the pale and juicy Cabernet franc rosé was the perfect partner for our deeply pigmented and intense Mencia rosé.