The 2015 reds are bottled!

On Wednesday May 4 we bottled our 2015 red wines. These are Rhone varietials - a Mourvedre (104 cases), a Grenache (102 cases) and the Maribor blend (125 cases). This year's Maribor wine is 42% Syrah, 42% Mourvedre, and 16% Grenache.

I posted tasting notes in a recent blog post, and since then I've been getting the sulfur up to bottling levels. They are unfined and unfiltered so hopefully it won't be in bottle shock for long. I'll give them a month before I open them and make an initial assessment in terms of when we might release them.

I've always liked how Rhone varietals do in Lodi's grapegrowing climate. The emphasis on lush, soft fruit and spices, low acidity, and enough tannins to make them worth hanging on to for a few years.

I'm happy to have worked with growers Gregg Lewis and Larry Mettler. Now that these are taken care of, I can turn my attention to the 2017 harvest. I haven't decided on exactly which varietals I'll be buying but they will be varietals I haven't made yet for Drava. I'd like to work with some growers I've made wine from in the past at other wineries.

Happy Memorial Day and William and I hope to see you at our tasting room soon!

-Steve