What we have said in the past about the Sangiacomo family and the fruit bearing the name is worth repeating: there is not a better group of people growing grapes, and their fruit shows the fineness of the hands that, in the vineyard, raise this wine. It comes on the heels of the 2003 Chardonnay, which was rated one of the top 100 wines in the world of 2006-released wines. We feel this wine has every bit of the richness, depth and complexity that last year’s effort contained. We are proud to be viewed as matching in the cellar what Michael, Steve and their family do on a yearly basis in the vineyard! But the Sangiacomos are much more than farmers of excellent Pinot noir and Chardonnay. Without their help and assistance to Tandem, we would not be enjoying this wine together today. Thank you, Sangiacomo family!!
Tasting notes: The exciting, visceral, animale et sauvage aspects of this wine continue in this 2004 edition of Mara La Follette’s favorite wine. A core of rich, musky-scented perfume first greets the nose, but if one takes the time to let the wine develop, a regular riot of fruit-supported complexity evolves over a period of several hours. This veritable kaleidoscope-in-the-glass continues on the palate, with the late palate echo of downright sexy flavors continuing to be supported by an intense, richly structured mouthfeel that needs to be tasted to be believed.
Technical Data:
• Vineyard: The Roberts Road portion of this blend speaks of the cold winds and fog that visit this site in the Petaluma Gap. Located at the base of Sonoma Mountain on the edge of the scree slopes and an ancient stream bed, the fog often burns off from the property, sitting just a few meters below the fence line, acting as a big refrigerator while the sun shines fully. The result is tiny berries and clusters, and only a ½ to 1 ton per acre yield. The Vella portion, planted to the same Old Wente clone on a deeper clay loam, provides the intense tropical fruit base notes to offset the Roberts road savageness. Green Acres clone, with larger berries & clusters, provide fresh, lush flavors that counterpoint the other grapes’ voices.
• Harvest: Vella and Green Acres are night-harvested every year, for 2004 in early September, providing a cacophony of fruit flavors from the vertically-shoot – positioned, well-ventilated canopies. Roberts Road was harvested at the very limit of ripeness but 3 weeks earlier than in 2003, in early October. Yield was from 2 tons at Green acres to ½ ton per acre from Roberts Road.
• Fermentation: We feel like we are now getting some consistency here. As with the previous two years, the Vella Old Wente was whole-cluster pressed and the resulting juice uncharacteristically cold-settled (our only Chardonnay that gets this treatment) to achieve about 2.5% solids and then allowed to ferment wild. The Roberts Road Old Wente was treated the same way, but with no cold setting. Green Acres was destemmed and crushed and immediately sent to barrel where the usual wild suspects did their fermentative work.
• Barrel aging: 33% new French oak, mostly Seguin-Moreau with wood from the Center of France and 100% sur lies with battonage for 4 months, total time in barrel 11 months.
• Bottling: 302 cases in September 2005
o pH: 3.50
o TA: 6.4 g/L
o 13.9% alcohol
o Appellation: Sonoma Coast
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