Elizabeth Pressler and Spencer Graham, husband and wife, formed Elizabeth Spencer in 1998.The Grenache is from a single vineyard with very stony soils located in Mendocino just east of Ukiah. Due to the rough terrain, the vines struggle through the growing season creating grape clusters with very tiny berries yet full of exuberant aromatics and flavors. The soils here are a textbook example of the theory proving that growing vinifera fruit in rugged terroir does achieve the fullest, most complex components in the resultant wine.
Body: medium
Color: deep garnet
Aromas: black cherry, black tea, lilac, white pepper, raspberry, spice
Varietal Blend: 95% Grenache, 5% Durif
Case production: 350 cases
Ageing: 14 months used and new French oak
From t
heir website: The wine is supple and round on the entry, with grip and texture building beneath layers of ripe plum, Bing cherry. This mouth-filling wine is firm and refreshing on the finish.Winemaking: Grapes were hand-harvested in late October, removed from the stems and placed in a small open-top tank. After light maceration, the skins and the pulp sat together for six days prior to fermentation in order to extract as much of the bright fruit flavors as possible. Native yeasts were encouraged, and the wine was punched
down by hand, pressed just before dryness and moved to barrel to complete fermentation. Barrel-aged for 14 months, the tannins integrated seamlessly with the body of the wine prior to bottling.Eat with: charcuterie platter, pâté, rillettes and terrine.
Website: http://www.elizabethspencerwines.com/
