v.2019 Late Harvest, Dolcezza

The ocean-influenced Edna Valley is ideal for cool-climate grape varieties. Fog is common overnight and into the mornings, but with it comes constant spectre of fungal pressure. Among these, Botrytis cineria is the ‘Noble Rot’ known for its role in producing the great sweet wines of Sauternes and Barsac-when conditions are just right, it can pierce the skin of the grape, drawing out moisture, to concentrate and amplify flavors and transform the crop into the basis for sublime, long-lived wines.

In the Edna Valley, too often Botrytis comes along with other less desired species that render the crop useless and force us to drop the affected clusters into the vineyard floor. But in 2019, a mild outbreak in our white wine varieties came along with the warm dry afternoons needed to bring desired positive effect. We acted quickly, and moved crews through the vines in several passes, harvesting clusters and parts of the clusters in which the grapes had transformed into soft, honeyed raisins. Careful hand-sorting, a long gentle pressing to extract the sugary juice, and long slow fermentation in French oak and Acacia barrels served to birth this ‘Little Sweet One’ or DOLCEZZA.