Sourced from a small block in a dry-farmed, organically-grown vineyard located in the heart of Napa Valley’s Rutherford bench, this completely dry wine balances Riesling’s natural aromatic richness with a core of fresh acidity. White peach, citrus, mineral, and floral aromas are framed by a medium-weight structure with bright acidity, a savory mouthfeel, and a touch of grip to the finish. Being light on its feet keeps it refreshing, while retaining firm structure and aromatic stuffing gives it depth.

Riesling in Rutherford?

 Made justly famous by its superb benchland Cabernet Sauvignons, Rutherford is nowadays a somewhat unexpected place to find Riesling grapes. However, some of the first winegrowers in the Napa Valley were German immigrants, and naturally propagated varieties that they were familiar with from the vineyards of their homeland, including Riesling. In fact, by the 1890s, there were over 1,000 acres of Riesling planted in Rutherford alone, as the region’s Italian winegrowers also came to appreciate Riesling’s high quality and ability to ripen easily in the warm California climate. The 1/2-acre, head-trained plot on the Rossi property is a holdover from these early days of California winemaking, and a lasting connection to Napa’s viticultural history.


Winemaking: 1.42 tons of Riesling were received on August 21st,
2015. All of the grapes were foot-stomped in their picking bins and given 3
hours of skin contact. Two-thirds of the grapes were pressed into stainless
steel and fermented cold, with fermentation lasting 22 days. The remaining
third was pressed into neutral oak and not given any temperature control.
Temperatures reached the low 80s over a 6-day fermentation. Both lots fermented
on their native yeasts. After blending, the wine was aged on its lees for about
8 months before being bottled in early May.