Description
WINEMAKER’S NOTES: Love Red is our most identifiable wine. It has all the meaning of why I moved to California from Nebraska - to be around all of these old heritage vines and history. It symbolizes what I imagine a California red wine should be, offering a sense of history. This wine keeps many older plantings in California in the ground - having a home with us at Broc. – Chris
The Love Red grapes are harvested early to highlight the fruit and preserve acidity. It’s fermented only by native yeasts. The Carignan was fermented mostly carbonic. We destemmed then fermented the Syrah, Valdiguié, Mourvèdre, Petite Sirah and Zinfandel in stainless open top fermenters. The Grenache Noir was fermented carbonic. The wine was aged in a combination of mostly neutral French oak barrels and concrete tanks. Carignan delivers the blue fruit, while Syrah and Mourvèdre add depth. Valdiguié and Zinfandel add brightness, and Grenache Noir brings it all together, adding a certain ‘prettiness’ to the wine.
VITICULTURAL AREA:
The Carignan grapes come from 70+ year old vines in Mendocino County. Wirth Ranch grows the Syrah, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and old vine Valdiguié. It is located Solano County Green Valley, an area tucked between Napa and Suisun Valley. Rosewood Vineyard is located in Mendocino, growing old vine Carignan and Valdiguié. The Grenache Noir come from Lake Mendocino Vineyards – located at 1200 feet on the north side of Lake Mendocino. Rosewood and Lake Mendocino Vineyards are CCOF and Wirth Ranch farms organically.
At Broc Cellars, our wines are made using spontaneous fermentation, a process that means we only use native yeasts and bacteria that exist on the grapes in order to make wine. We don’t add anything – this includes nutrients, yeast, bacteria, enzymes, tannins or other popular fermentation agents. Sulphur is a naturally occurring element in all wine, the amount found can vary. We add little to no S02, depending on the wine and style.
ABV: 12.5%