Caleb Leisure Ab Ovo 2020

Ab Ovo is a co-fermented red made from 70% Mourvedre and 30% Marsanne, sourced from organically and biodynamically farmed vineyards in El Dorado County, Sierra Foothills. The grapes come from decomposed granite and volcanic loam soils at elevations reaching 3,000 feet, where cool fall temperatures extend hang time and retain natural acidity.

Fermentation and elevage happen entirely in authentic Georgian qvevri — handmade terracotta vessels buried in the earthen cellar at Coturri Winery in Glen Ellen. The blend co-fermented on skins for 8 days before being pressed directly into qvevri for 8 months of elevage. No additions of any kind were made at any stage.

The inclusion of Marsanne alongside Mourvedre is unusual and intentional: the white grape adds aromatic lift and textural weight to what would otherwise be a more closed, brooding red. The result sits somewhere between a Southern Rhone red and an amber wine, with tannic grip from the skins and a mineral backbone from the volcanic soils.