SkinnerEl Dorado Grenache Blanc 2020

We love this Grenache Blanc from Skinner. Refreshing and vibrant, this 2020 Viognier was cold-pressed as individual lots. The juice saw no sulfur to allow for a “brown-out” process of the juice over the course of several days. This along with the subsequent racking off of gross lees offers an opportunity for any harsh, bitter phenolics to drop out, yielding softer, clarified juice for a gentle but highly reductive native fermentation. The aromatics on the 2020 Grenache Blanc are “punchy and brilliant, as the nose suggests a wine of tremendous posture. The first impression is crushed limestone and white flowers, giving way to underpinnings of blood orange, honeysuckle, and sandalwood. This wine’s clean, platinum hue and lithe aromatics only begin to tell the story of its deep, complex palate presence of weight and electric tension”. 429 cases were produced.

Skinner Vineyards is comprised of their estate vineyard, Stoney Creek Vineyard, which is in the newer Fair Play AVA and surrounding neighboring vineyards in the El Dorado AVA. Their elevations range from 1400-2740 feet. For the grapes, that means that they see temperatures about 2-5 degrees cooler than other Foothills regions, with moderating breezes that upslope from the delta as temperatures rise throughout the day. In the evenings, cool air drains down from the Sierra, creating a terroir that is unique to Skinner.