2022 Watson Ranch Valdiguie
Tasting Notes
Valdiguié has a generous fruit-forward profile. The Passlacqua Valdeguié is inky in color and aged in 100% French Oak. Our barrel program brings more depth, balance, and structure to the wine. The nose brings blackberries fresh off the vine, mingled with blueberry cobbler and ripe currants. The palate is big, broad, and smooth, finishing with a bit of toasty vanilla. The juicy palate and bold fruit perfectly pair with wild boar, amplifying the sweetness of the pork. The Passalacqua Valdiguié bottling is limited to a few of our select Members, so share only with close friends, if at all!
Winemaker's Notes
The Valdiguié grape was first commercially propagated in 1874. Its origin is unclear, but one theory is that Guillaume Valdiguié found it in the vineyard of a Templar monastery in southern France. It was imported to California during the Prohibition era because it had a high yield and was very resistant to mildew. The plantings of Valdiguié reached an all-time high in the 1970s at over 6000 acres when Californians mistakenly called it Gamay. Today, only a handful of acres remain. We were lucky to find some here in Dry Creek Valley on the Watson Ranch. Not only do they have a small hillside planted to old vine Zinfandel that we love and purchase, but they also have a tiny block of Valdiguié planted in the 1980s and dry farmed. They are beautiful, huge, old vines that hang a balanced crop, so the fruit we harvest is intense in flavor and color.
Production Notes
72 cases produced
Pair Wild
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