Rootdown Trousseau 2023, Cole Ranch, Mendocino County, California

Rootdown was started by winemaker/owner Mike Lucia in 2014 initially as a rose-focused brand but has since grown to produce rose, white, and red. Trousseau is typically found in France’s Jura region, but this wine happens to be from the smallest AVA in North America: Cole Ranch. In 2019, Rootdown acquired Cole Ranch in Mendocino county. At 457m in elevation, Cole Ranch rests between the valley floor of Ukiah and Anderson Valley. Originally planted in 1973 to 55 acres, becoming its own AVA in the 80’s–the smallest in the country–Cole Ranch has become a sought-after vineyard for its organically-farmed, high-quality fruit. Grafted from 2 different sources at Cole Ranch in 2020, this is the small but first release of Trousseau from the estate. All clusters were destemmed in order to keep the identity of Trousseau intact. 100% Destemmed and fermented in our poly egg tank. Mixed daily until fermentation kicked off then left untouched and sealed until it reached 5 brix. The idea behind this was to get a little Semi-Carbonic aromatic and not extract too much of the green tannin. Neutral barrel aged until June 2022. The tiny AVA’s microclimate makes it uniquely suited for these cool-climate grapes, leading to elegant wines. This bottle has a delicate structure with bright notes of cranberries, blood orange, dried spices, and sage. Fermented in small open top oak fermenters & S48 bins.

$32.99