2005 Russian River Valley Vin Gris

Purchase 2005 Russian River Valley Vin Gris

PHILOSOPHY
Lynmar Vin Gris is meant to embody the spirit of summer.  It is the perfect companion for a long, leisurely lunch, picnic or any activity by the water.  Always finished dry, it can go with almost anything or simply nothing at all.

2005 GROWING SEASON
The 2005 season was one of the coolest and latest in recent memory.  This meant an excellent vintage for the more elegant, acid-driven style that Lynmar is known for.  The skill of our vineyard team combined with a bit of luck helped us to avoid losses during early season rains that desiccated a number of neighboring vineyards during flowering.  The rest of the season was uneventful; grapes ripened gradually and evenly without the late season heat spikes that can occur on the North Coast.  Surgical harvesting with multiple passes through each block helped us to bring in fruit of outstanding uniformity with great natural acidity, ripe tannins and great flavor maturity.

THE BLEND
Our third vintage of Vin Gris is sourced not only from our Quail Hill Vineyard estate, but also from select vineyards throughout the Russian River AVA.  Predominantly Pinot Noir, this wine includes 8% Syrah for structure and depth.

THE WINEMAKING
The winemaking used two methods.  In the saignée method, select lots of Pinot Noir and Syrah were gently “bled” from tank soon after de-stemming in order to run off a small amount of juice with just a little color, but without any tannins.  This improved the skin-to-juice ratio of these lots and provided the raw material for the Vin Gris.  This juice was then processed like our Chardonnay, except that it was fermented and aged in neutral French oak barrels so as not to muddle the wonderful fruity aromas and flavors with any oak character.  Additionally, about 40% of the wine came from cool climate fruit specifically grown and harvested for the rosé program.  This fruit was partially destemmed and cold soaked for 24 hours before being membrane pressed and then fermented and aged in both stainless steel tank and neutral barrels on light lees.  An early bottling has captured all the freshness that this wine has to offer.

TASTING NOTES
The deep salmon color indicates a fuller bodied style of Vin Gris.  Rhubarb, white peach and watermelon aromas leap from the glass and carry through the soft, round yet bone-dry palate.  Subtle complexing notes of cocoa and spice from the Syrah add interest while in no way taking away from the downright pleasurable appeal of this wine.  Additional flavors of pomegranate and a hint of mango add further complexity on the palate.  There is just enough acidity to cleanse the palate and encourage another sip.  There is no reason to age this wine.  In fact, it is meant to be consumed and thoroughly enjoyed before the next vintage is released.

Purchase 2005 Russian River Valley Vin Gris