Arneis, which translates to “little rascal”, can be a difficult grape to grow. Reminiscent of the grapes’ Piemontese home in the foothills of the Italian Alps, ours is grown in a hillside vineyard planted in well-drained, heavy limestone soil. Traditionally used as a blender to diffuse the ruggedness of Nebbiolo, this distinctive medium-bodied aromatic wine has refreshing mandarin orange and lime nuances. Try it with grilled shrimp or pesto over pasta.
These grapes were planted in two California vineyards; one planted in the Sonoma Coast AVA and the other in Paicines. The Sonoma Coast vineyard is located in the Petaluma Gap, an area where the challenging dark adobe soil and cool weather challenges grapes to ripen. In Paicines grapes are planted in heavy, well-drained limestone soil much sought after for grape varieties like Pinot Noir. This Arneis is “deficit irrigated” which means irrigating below full crop-water requirements. This keeps the vine in a slight state of water stress early in its growth period leading to less wood, smaller berries and higher flavor concentration
The grapes were handpicked and de-stemmed without being crushed. The Arneis was immediately pumped to our tank press where the juice was gently squeezed from the berries. Pumped juice flowed to a stainless steel fermenting tank where the wine was chilled and settled for two days. The juice was then racked (decanted) off the grape solids and inoculated with a pure strain of wine yeast. Fermentation proceeded at a cool 50 degrees F to preserve the grape’s lovely fruit character.
Arneis is an ancient variety grown near Alba in Piemonte, Italy. Arneis has been referred to as “Barolo Bianco” and the name means “little rascal” in the regional dialect. The grape can be hard to grow as it is late in ripening and prone to rot.
Refreshing flavors of mandarin orange and lime. Ideal with seafood or pesto on pasta.