2016 Fields Family Wines Grenache Blanc Delu Vineyard Alta Mesa Lodi

Grenache Blanc of surprising nerve and freshness

2016 Fields Family Wines Grenache Blanc Delu Vineyard Alta Mesa Lodi

Grenache blanc is finicky, and in warm climes can pop into ripeness while shedding acidity to yield, ultimately, a soapy wine. Winemaker Ryan Sherman harvested this fruit at 21° to 22° Brix to preserve that natural acidity and deliver a wine with freshness and vibrancy.

This varietal Grenache blanc is grown, like its sister wine, the Fields Vermentino, in the Delu Vineyard in Lodi’s Alta Mesa sub-AVA. The fruit was fermented with ambient yeasts in stainless tank and malolactic was partially blocked. Once dry, the wine was racked to neutral French oak barrels where it rested on fine lees until its January bottling.

The result is crystalline and pure, a delicate reticulation of fruit, minerals, herbs, and flowers. The aromas are grassy and white-petaled, and the attack is savory at first, with a sense of tarragon and green tea, but then the wine expands into pear and laurel and yellow apple. The finish is briny and, again, herbaceous.

Recommended for mellow, firm cow’s milk cheeses and mild blues, cured meats, anchovies, and roasted nuts. Pair it with salads tossed with roasted nut oil and a light dose of lemon, light-fleshed fish and poultry, pasta tossed with fruity olive oil, spinach pastries, or delicate vegetable terrines.

13.5% abv | $24 (sample) 65 cases made
Fields Family Wines

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