Owned by Meeker family friends Bill and Julie Lapp, Hollyhock Vineyard lies at the far eastern edge of Templeton Gap District. The Grenache block lies on a west-facing, undulating hillside (up to 14% grade) that catches afternoon sun and evening breeze from the coast. Grenache clones 513 and 362 were planted in 2004 on 8x3 spacing.

Unfined and unfiltered. After an aggressive saignee (bleeding off), we split the lot in two. One third fermented in open-top 3/4 ton bins with 2-5 punchdowns per day. The rest was destemmed to a small tank, 1-3 pump-overs per day. Both lots were inoculated with Metschnikowia fructicola for bio-protection and extended skin contact. In the bins, we allowed the wild S. cerevisiae fermentations to take off before inoculating with three different yeasts to build layers of complexity and reliably close primary fermentation. The tank was inoculated and fermented colder to extend lag phase. We pressed the bins and tank after 40 and 41 days, respectively.

Our focus with this wine was to extend skin contact to develop structure and heighten mouthfeel in order to highlight Paso Robles’ advantages and Grenache’s personality. 18 months in mixed twice-used and neutral French and American with one new American barrel.