Twisted Oak 2005 %@#$! (White Rhone Blend)

Tasting Notes:
These tasting notes are often based on the winemaker’s notes. Well, this time he told me that this %@#$! had aromas of peaches and butter. Have you ever buttered a peach? Just weird if you ask me. Then he goes on to mention creamy flavors of pear and truffles. Okay, now we have peaches and butter and pears and mushrooms. Is this insane or what? Well, I can tell you that this %@#$! is a lot yummier than that, and has body and character almost like a red wine. And it will even lay down for a few years. How cool is that?

Vineyard Notes
The 2005 %@#$! is a Rhône-style white wine blend with one seriously Twisted attitude!! The fruit for this wine is grown at two different vineyards in two different counties. First is Sumu Kaw Vineyard in El Dorado County, with vines planted on a steep West-Northwestern slope on a ridge at 2800 feet, banked by a pine forest on the morning/east side, making it one of the cooler spots in an otherwise warm climate region. The vines are on a Vertical Shoot Positioned trellis system (VSP) in order to maximize sun exposure to the leaf canopy. Soils at the site are sandy loam with moderate nutrient levels.

Second is the Moke Gold Vineyard, located in the Paloma valley in Calaveras County. This ultra-rural valley is situated between Mokelumne Hill and Valley Springs, just off of Hwy 26. Rancher Earl Miller grows 6 different varietals here, including the Marsanne and Roussanne which contribute to our blend. These two varietals are grown on a very gentle north-sloping hillside and are planted in clay-loamy soil.

Winemaking Notes:
Upon reaching the winery, the fruit was gently crushed and then it soaked on the skins for a couple of hours in order to gain some complexity, then the fruit was pressed to remove the clear juice from the skins and seeds. After pressing, the %@#$! was inoculated with a Rhône yeast strain and the yeast monitored throughout fermentation to ensure optimal yeast viability. The %@#$! was 100% barrel fermented in 40% new French oak which adds to the mouthfeel and completes the nutty flavors. The lees was stirred extensively. After 17 days and near the end of primary fermentation, we began stirring the lees (sediment and expired yeast cells) vigorously every week to enhance mouthfeel, for an additional 8 weeks and the %@#$! was bottled after a full 6 months in wood.

Food Pairings
Just About Anything!
hearty salads - risottos - pork – Thai
Vicious Vindaloos!
seared ahi - sweet & sour SPAM!

Technical Notes:

Varietal:	37% Roussanne and 25% Marsanne- Sumu Kaw Vineyard, 21% Roussanne and 17% Marsanne- Moke Gold Vineyard
Alcohol:	14.1%
Titratable Acid:	0.54 grams/100ml
pH:	3.54
Volatile Acid:	0.050 grams/100ml
Brix at Harvest:	24.2
Aging:	6 months
Oak:	20% new French oak, 30% new American oak, 50% Neutral oak.