Happy Spring!
Followers on Instagram may have seen Brandon’s post a while ago comparing shoot growth at Radian this year (as of March 30) to last year on May 22. What a difference great rains and beautiful sunshine made for vine growth! It has indeed been an interesting start to the 2026 growing season. We started off with great, early rainfall, and then had an unseasonably warm February and March, which turbocharged the vines, particularly in the SRH. April has since turned cooler, with some small rainstorms and some wind, but abundant sunshine (and big billowy clouds) in between. Shoot growth has moderated some, but is solid and even, and cluster counts are suggesting (possibly!) a solid yield in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay after two years of very low yields. Sauvignon Blanc seems to be tracking a fairly normal pattern and looking great. We will be out in the vines watching shoot thinning, bloom and weed management (mechanically!), and we will report back.
As Spring progresses and days get longer it is a perfect tine to release the new 2025 Rosé! A southern French styled dry Rosé of Grenache and Mourvèdre, the 2025 version is boldly flavored, but crisp and lingering. A little extra red Grenache created gorgeous, vibrant color as well. This will be a delight to drink all year, as demonstrated by anecdotal market “research” with John’s tennis crew as well as in-house employee tastings. We liken it to a lighter version of something from Chateau Simone, one of our favorite French Rosés.
In addition to the 2025 Rosé we are releasing the 2023 Grenache from John Sebastiano Vineyard. There is kinship in Grenache! 2023 was an exceptionally cool and long-lasting vintage, with the Grenache harvested November 7 at just 14.0% alcohol. Great with food, this wine has length for days.
More details (and links to the store) are below. |
A little darker than past versions, the 2025 Rosé is a blend of 84% Grenache and 16% Mourvèdre from Vogelzang (80%) and Two Wolves (20%) vineyards, each of which was farmed specifically for Rosé. The wine was whole cluster pressed for purity and brightness, and the resulting juice was fermented and aged on its lees for 5 months in neutral barrels (228L & 500L) before bottling. The wine delivers powerful but expressively bright red fruits (strawberries, raspberries) to the nose, and those fruits follow boldly though to the palate along with watermelon jolly rancher and citrus peel before finishing with bright acidity. A fabulous aperitif, the wine also has the stuffing to pair well with flavorful (even spicy) fare. We recommend it near swimming pools, at beaches (where legal) and next to outdoor grills, where it should delight family and friends, old and new.
This dramatic, organically farmed, hillside site on the border of the Sta. Rita Hills is one of the coolest sites planted to Rhône varietals in all of California. Grenache grows on a steep, south-east facing hillside of almost pure sand on the eastern edge of the block and slightly heavier sandy clay loam toward the west and at the bottom of the block. The block is typically picked very late but at relatively low sugar levels for Grenache. These grapes produce a cool, energetic, mineral-laden wine with juicy, high toned, aromatic red fruits, fresh herbs, and good structure for aging. Syrah from JSV is darker toned with black and blue fruits, adding spice and structure to the blend.
