Our Druid’s Biodynamic Blends
Winegrowers set long-term goals. That’s the reality of agriculture. We replanted our vineyard, and three years after planting the blocks, we got our first grapes. Then you start learning, and you need to listen to what the vineyard is trying to teach you. One of our long-term goals became a reality this year. In 2023, these things all came together to allow us to create the first generation of our new Druid’s wines—Red, White, and Rosé.
These wines may have been inspired by the Rhône Valley and Provence, but their personality is all Applegate Valley. As you have come to expect from Troon Vineyard, these wines exhibit the freshness and moderate alcohol that define our wines.
With the 2023 vintage, Druid’s has become a trio, each a Biodynamic Blend of many of the same varieties. These blends will change according to each season, and you can expect the introduction of other varieties as our newly planted vineyard blocks come into production.
2023 Druid’s Pink
Ingredients: Ingredients: Estate Biodynamic Organic Grapes, minimum effective sulfites
Blend: 62% mourvèdre, 18% grenache, 8% cinsault, 7% carignan, 5% counoise
Nutritional Information: per 5-oz. serving: 109 calories, sugar 0.5 grams, carbohydrates 2.5 grams fiber/fat/protein 0
Technical Information: 12.2% alcohol, RS 2.1 g/L, TSO2 37mg/L, pH 3.44, TA 5.2 g/L
Unfined and Unfiltered - Vegan Friendly
Packaging: Bottle Weight: 467 grams, no capsule, corks origine by DIAM, tree-free labels
Winemaker Notes from Nate Wall
The five components for the 2023 Druid’s Pink - mourvèdre, grenache, cinsault, carignan, and counoise - were grown and harvested with the intention of making this rosé. Due to varying ripening curves, for the most part, these grapes were picked and fermented separately and then blended together for the final wine. The mourvèdre adds body and fruit complemented by intriguing herbal characteristics. Grenache adds some weight and texture along with ample fruit. Cinsault adds bright red fruits, counoise adds acidity, and carignan adds spiciness.
Even though these are all red grapes, the grapes were all picked at lower sugars and higher acidity than would have been the case for a red wine, and these vines were pruned and grown with rosé production in mind. Following harvest, the grapes were gently whole-cluster pressed to minimize color extraction and maintain aromatics and acidity. After settling for 24 hours, the juice was racked to neutral barrels for fermentation. Both primary alcoholic and secondary malolactic fermentations were spontaneous (“native”) and were completed in barrels over a roughly 4-month period. The wines stayed on their primary lees until they were blended in a stainless steel tank for bottling when a small amount of SO2 was added. We retained a touch of CO2 to add a touch of effervescence to enhance the lively personality of this wine. The Druid’s Pink is bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Our new estate bottled 2023 Druid’s Pink rosé is a wine we have been waiting to make for years as all the grapes used for this wine are from our newly planted vineyards. We have patiently tended these vines waiting for their crop, which we harvested last vintage. As with all of our wines, this Rosé is a wine of intention as these are classic rosé varieties in their original home in Southern France and we farmed them to be ideal for rosé. The wine is lively and fresh, with lower alcohol and a delicate pink hue.
Biodynamic Blends
Nate Wall’s Winemaker Notes:
2023 Druid’s Pink
The five components for the 2023 Druid’s Pink - mourvèdre, grenache, cinsault, carignan, and counoise - were grown and harvested with the intention to make this rosé. Due to varying ripening curves, for the most part these grapes were picked and fermented separately then blended together for the final wine. The mourvèdre adds body and fruit complemented by intriguing herbal characteristics. Grenache adds some weight and texture along with ample fruit. Cinsault adds bright red fruits, counoise adds acidity, and carignan adds spiciness.
Even though these are all red grapes, the grapes were all picked at lower sugars and higher acidity than would have been the case for a red wine, and these vines were pruned and grown with rosé production in mind. Following harvest, the grapes were gently whole-cluster pressed to minimize color extraction and maintain aromatics and acidity. After settling for 24 hours, the juice was racked to neutral barrels for fermentation. Both primary alcoholic and secondary malolactic fermentations were spontaneous (“native”) and were completed in barrels over a roughly 4-month period. The wines stayed on their primary lees right up until they were blended in a stainless steel tank for bottling when a small amount of SO2 was added. The Druid’s Pink is bottled unfined and unfiltered.
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