Please The Palate Pick of the Week: March Rosé of St. Laurent 2018 Ricci Vineyard, Carneros, Sonoma Valley

Written by Allison Levine on August 7, 2019

Wine

Rosé is made from so many different grape varieties – Pinot Noir, Grenache, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and more. But the March Wines rosé is made from St. Laurent, a grape that originated in Austria and is thought to be a crossing of Pinot Noir and an unknown parent. While the origin of the grape may be unknown, I know that the March Rosé of St. Laurent 2018 Ricci Vineyard, Carneros, Sonoma Valley is the Please The Palate Wine of the Week.

St. Laurent is a highly aromatic dark-skinned wine grape variety. Typical notes include raspberry, blackberry, sweet tobacco, baking spices and chocolate. Think of it like a deeper colored, meatier version of Pinot Noir.

March Wines sources the St. Laurent from Ricci Vineyard in the cool Carneros region of Sonoma. The Ricci Vineyard is home to the first and only three acres of St. Laurent in all of California. Dale Ricci, owner of Ricci Vineyard, planted St. Laurent after falling in love with the wine when traveling in Austria.

The March Rosé of St. Laurent 2018 Ricci Vineyard, Carneros, Sonoma Valley is made in the Provence style with the grapes being direct pressed. The wine is cold fermented to enhance aromatics and then stirred on the less. The resulting wine is a bright salmon pink color with bright fruit aromatics and lovely fresh lively acidity on the palate.

There are only 28 cases of March Rosé of St. Laurent 2018 Ricci Vineyard, Carneros, Sonoma Valley, which is available for $25. March Wines are the only producers of Rose of St. Laurent in California so order a bottle today.

Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Pax 2018 Trousseau Gris, Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard

Written by Allison Levine on July 10, 2019

Wine

A French grape variety, Trousseau Gris is a native grape of the Jura region in eastern France where it is made into a white wine, or slightly colored wine. Once widely grown in California under the name Gray Riesling, there is now extremely limited production. The 98-year old, dry-farmed, seven acre Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard in the Russian River Valley appellation of Sonoma County is home to the only known standing block of Trousseau Gris in California. One of the producers making a Trousseau Gris from this vineyard is Pax Wine and the Pax 2018 Trousseau Gris, Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard is the Please The Palate Wine of the Week.

The Pax Trousseau Gris may look like a rosé but it is not. Due to some carbonic maceration as well as skin contact, the wine is a golden hued, peachy colored wine. Pax ferments the grapes in 100% concrete eggs for four months and does not add any additional SO2 during winemaking.

On the nose, the wine is bright and fresh with aromas of orange peel, lemon, kumquat, savory herbs, wet stone and unripe peach. On the palate, the wine is savory with vibrant acidity and finishes with crushed stone minerality. The wine has a lovely texture and pairs well with food, ranging from shellfish to meats to cheeses.

The Pax 2018 Trousseau Gris, Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard is available at wine retailers across the country and will range from $20 on the west coast to $30 on the east coast.

Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Two Shepherds 2017 Cinsault Ancient Vine

Written by Allison Levine on June 12, 2019

Wine

It is possible you have not heard of the grape Cinsault. A dark-skinned grape, it is typically blended with Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre in a Southern Rhone blend. It is rather uncommon to find Cinsault produced as a single-varietal wine but one winery is producing it. Two Shepherds, based in Sonoma, California, produces a single bottling of Cinsault and it is so delicious, the Two Shepherds 2017 Cinsault Ancient Vine is the Please The Palate Wine of the Week.

Wine blogger turned winemaker William Allen is the owner and winemaker of Two Shepherds, along with his partner Karen Daenen. Allen started making wine in his garage and began commercial production in 2010, producing 175 cases. Today he makes approximately 1500 cases per year, but each wine under the Two Shepherds label is a small lot of 25-200 cases each.

Two Shepherds specializes (primarily) in Rhone varieties. Allen seeks out cool climate vineyards, old vine vineyards and unique plantings. He approaches wine with minimal intervention, using native yeast, minimal SO2, whole clusters and neutral barrel fermentation and aging to produce unfiltered and unfined wines.

The Two Shepherds 2017 Cinsault Ancient Vine comes from the 135-year old Bechthold Vineyard in Lodi, which is believed to be the oldest surviving Cinsault Vineyard in the world. The vineyard is dry-farmed and organic and produces low yields. Allen handpicks the grapes which are whole cluster and foot tread. They are fermented with native yeasts and gently pressed to neutral barrels for 8 months of aging on the lees.

The Two Shepherds 2017 Cinsault Ancient Vine is a beautifully fresh and aromatic wine with notes of raspberries, cherries, violets, roses and pepper. It is elegant, fresh, crisp and light. And, add a little chill to it and it is all the better.

Only 125 cases are made of this wine. It can be found in local wine retailers or it can currently be found on the Two Shepherds website, where you will find it for $32. Order it today as it will soon only be available to Flock Club, their wine club, to members only. Of course, you can join the Two Shepherd Flock Club and you will not be disappointed!