Vineyard Notes: Stillwater Ranch is farmed by Tom Merwin, currently the president of the Clarksburg Wine Growers Association. The Merwin family has been farming in Clarksburg since 1918 & planted their first grapes in 1996. Stillwater Ranch was one of the first properties planted. It is located on the western side of Elk Slough, south of the town of Clarksburg. It is sustainably farmed.
Cellar Notes: This very small lot (~¼ ton) of wine was hand-harvested by Colleen, Sam & Mike on the morning of 10/9 & destemmed directly into our terracotta amphora with no additions. This did not fill the amphora, so we went back & picked about 200 more pounds, which we added to the amphora as whole clusters. The natural fermentation completed on 10/20, but it was left in the amphora to continue maceration until pressing on 10/27, when it was racked to a single barrel with approximately 20% tank-fermented Chenin from Wilson Vineyards. There it remained, until 11/19, when it was racked & cold stabilized, then bottled unfiltered with a small SO2 addition on 12/20.
Tasting Notes: A very definite Chenin blanc funk, with green papaya, green tea, white flowers & seashore aromas. On the palate it is dense with papaya, almond, chalky minerality & phenolic richness. A good weight in the mouth with a lingering green herb quality.