Twisted Oak 2004 Tempranillo

Tasting Notes:
For several crushes, our buddy Scotty (not our winemaker, another Scott) helped us with punchdowns, pressings, rackings, and just about any other task you have during crush. You always knew Scotty was around because of the aroma of his clove cigarettes. You’ll note that this Tempranillo also has a hint of clove, along with aromas and flavors of cherry and raspberry. Not to mention great structure and acidity, but I digress. Now Scotty works for another winery, but somehow the aroma of clove still wafts around the crush pad. Some suspect Scotty is stealing beer from the lab fridge, but it’s probably just the Tempranillo.

Vineyard Notes
These Tempranillo grapes were sourced from the Rolleri Ranch just outside of Angels Camp, California. Elevation at the site is 1900 feet and the vines are planted on a South-Southwestern slope. The vines are trellised on a modified quadrilateral system to further enhance the vines’ exposure.

Vintage Notes
The 2004 growing season in Calaveras gave us a very early bloom. We then had a cooling spell which enabled us to keep berry sizes down, increasing body in the finished wine. The early summer growing season stayed steady and mild. Mid-season, we experienced an extreme heat spike, immediately followed by a very cool “late-season” finish. The fruit load was thinned down to a projected 3.3 tons per acre. To achieve full maturation of fruit while keeping some moderate natural acidity, we harvested this in late September.

Winemaking Notes
Upon reaching the winery, the fruit was gently crushed and then soaked on the skins at 48° F for 48 hours in a stainless steel tank prior to fermentation. It was inoculated with a Spanish yeast strain. After eight days and nearing the end of primary fermentation, the young wine was pressed off of the skins and put into barrels to finish out primary and malolactic fermentation. For this vintage, we have blended in 20% Cabernet Sauvignon from Vallecito Vineyard to add complexity and silkiness.

Food Pairings
Tapas!
spicy sausages and salamis fried SPAM fingers

Awards
- Silver Medal, 2007 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

Technical Notes:

Varietal:	80% Tempranillo- Rolleri Vineyard, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon- Vallecito Vineyard
Alcohol:	14.0%
Titratable Acid:	0.63
pH:	3.48
Volatile Acid:	0.071
Brix at Harvest:	25.2
Aging:	14 months
Oak:	25% new French oak, 15% new American oak, 40% 2-year-old French oak, 20% neutral oak