From Margins : 100% destemmed. Fermented on skins for nine days. Aged in neutral oak for 4.5 months. Native
fermentation, no fining, no filtration, no other modifications or additions except 20 ppm of sulfur dioxide the week before bottling. Paicines Ranch Vineyard is located in San Benito County in the Paicines sub-AVA. The vineyard is only one of the many inspirational agricultural projects taking place on this land, which is home to a host of other programs, including holistic planned grazing of cattle and sheep, organic minimum-till vegetable production, academic research studies, and educational workshops. In 2013 Paicines Ranch owner Sallie Calhoun saw a presentation by viticulturist Kelly Mulville regarding a style of vineyard management that he trialed between 2008 and 2010 that included the use of year-round sheep grazing in the vineyard with the goal of improved soil health and diversity. Kelly was invited to join the Paicines Ranch team in 2014 to begin vineyard design on a 25 acre site that had been a conventional vineyard from 1965-1995. After this period, the site was grazed by cattle for about 20 years until Kelly joined the team and employed the use of high stock density grazing by sheep and cattle from 2014 until the first round of planting in 2017. Site preparations for the future vineyard required installation of a newly designed high trellis system which ensures that the sheep are not able to reach any of the leaves or grapes during year-round grazing. At this time, this is the only vineyard in California able to employ year-round grazing of sheep.
We love it with:
Type: Red
Vintage: 2022
Size: 750 mL
Grape: Grenache
Region: San Benito County, California
Vinification: From the producer : Margins produces low-intervention wines using grapes from underrepresented regions, vineyards, and varietals. We are part of the growing movement in California to make wines from vineyards farmed organically or in organic conversion using minimal additives during the winemaking process, thereby showcasing the vineyards the grapes came from. Much like people living on the 'margins of society,' vineyards can be outcasts too. Most consumers of wine are only familiar with a handful of grape growing regions and types of wine. Margins draws attention to vineyards and varietals throughout northern and central California that find themselves on the margins without the recognition they deserve. Part of the Margins mission over the last five years has been to work with small growers to transition their vineyards from conventional to organic farming by providing guidance as well as assurance that the grapes will have a home. We believe that if we worked solely with organic vineyards, we would not be using our role in the industry to its full potential to enact agricultural change. As of vintage 2021, all the vineyards Margins works with are farmed organically.