Owing to its high mountain top planting, this Counoise presents with deeper and more complex notes than I usually associate with this variety. On the nose this wine leads with violets, lavender, pomegranate and blueberries. The palate is woody and earthy with porcini mushroom powder, dried cranberry and plum. It is refreshing and broad but not thick or weighty. The cover seems appropriate because it is fresh with touches of broodiness.
These grapes were de-stemmed and fermented with native yeasts on the skins for 18 days. It was aged in neutral French oak barrels for 12 months on gross lees without sulfur. Trace sulfur was added at bottling (18 parts per million). Vegan.
123 cases produced.
2021 Riddle Counoise
$37.00
“This vineyard is on a mountaintop, around 1200 feet. Roland Wentzel owns it now, but it was owned by John Scharffenberger since the 70’s, he sold it in 2005. There’s around 60 acres planted, it might be more. It’s literally the top of the mountain. It’s a very special place up there, 20 degrees cooler than the valley. Counoise normally presents with big clusters. On the mountainside though, at this site, it’s these little itty bitty berries. I get the characteristics of it, but it’s just much more concentrated. And I get quite a bit of tannin out of it, which is unusual. So it’s different. I usually spend the night when I pick, I’ll sleep on the back of flatbed and each time I go there’s this wind that comes all night. Roland told me the coastal wind comes over the mountains from the coast, it is constantly hitting the vineyard so that’s really helpful.”