Claire Hill Del Barba Vineyard Mourvedre

Origin: Contra Costa County, California, USA

Grape: Mourvedre

From the winemaker, who paints her own labels: "Fermented 25% whole cluster. Picked after a big heatwave, I kept the fermentation below 90F to prevent extracting bitterness at a higher alcohol than my previous vintages working with Del Barba Mourvèdre. The grapes see gentle punchdowns throughout their 18 day maceration with about 3 pumpovers at peak yeast activity. After pressing, the wine settles in tank to reach dryness again. The wine is then racked to used French oak barrels, where the wine rests for 11 months on fine lees. A small amount of sulfur is added before bottling, and the wine is unfined and unfiltered."