Ruth Lewandowski Naomi Grenache Gris 2020

Naomi is 100% Grenache Gris sourced from the Gibson Ranch in the McDowell Valley AVA of southeastern Mendocino County. The vines are over 110 years old, dry-farmed, and head-trained as bush vines on alluvial gravelly loam soils at approximately 1,000 feet elevation. Gibson Ranch holds some of the oldest plantings of Grenache Gris in California, a variety that is rare even in its native Southern Rhône.

For the 2019 and 2020 vintages, winemaker Evan Lewandowski used whole-cluster pressing, a three-week fermentation, and full malolactic conversion. The wine aged in polyethylene, was bottled unfined and unfiltered, and received 20 mg/L of added sulfur dioxide at bottling. No temperature control was used during fermentation.

The McDowell Valley AVA sits on sloped benchland at up to 1,000 feet above sea level, three miles east of Hopland. The Mediterranean climate is moderated by breezes funneling up the Russian River valley, producing cooler summers than the surrounding Mendocino inland areas. The combination of old vines, low-fertility gravelly soils, and warm days with cool nights gives Grenache Gris here unusual depth and freshness simultaneously.

Grenache Gris delivers weight and texture by nature, and Naomi leans into that fully while a streak of natural acidity keeps the wine from feeling heavy. This is a white wine for people who want something with presence on the palate rather than a light, fleeting finish.