Vin Gris 2023

Stolpman’s Unfiltered Vin Gris - 70% Gamay Noir / 30% Trousseau
In 2016, Jessica and I took a trip to Italy in order to attend her Godson’s baptism in Calabria.  We traversed the countryside South of Rome, from Sicily to Puglia and many spots in between.  Everywhere we traveled, especially when guided by our friend Hande Leimer, we tasted delicious, chilled wines somewhere on the color spectrum between Tavel Rosé and Love You Bunches Chilled Red.  Once we arrived back to Rome, Hande explained (over a Lunch that ended around 2am) that many of these wines were made by the new generation of winemakers that focused their careers on rejuvenating ancient, forgotten vineyards and varietals.  Extrapolating a bit, the very reason these old varietals had been abandoned is that many might not have been genetically disposed to ripen to modern day standards.  It was perceived that the world wanted darker, richer, higher-alcohol wines.
We were hooked on the profile, but when we returned home we grew frustrated that many of these wines were either not imported to the USA at all, or imported in tiny quantities pre-allocated to restaurants in NY and CA.  So we decided to make the wine ourselves.
We too had a varietal that struggles to ripen to modern day standards: the pale, thin skinned Trousseau grape.  Trousseau never fully finishes verasion, with many clusters still showing pink on at least one side.  We passed through the vineyard only harvesting the pinker clusters, and we left the bunches uncrushed under cloth with no sulfur for weeks on end before gently pressing to finish fermentation in 500L puncheon.
The inaugural 2017 vintage of Combe Trousseau Vin Gris became the dragon we chased for the next 5 vintages.  Through 2022 we never achieved the vibrant dark pink/light red hue, until 2023, when we decided to add early picked Gamay to the mix.  The Gamay delivers more depth and girth, and based on our new love affair with the 2023 Estate Vin Gris, we think we have found the magic recipe.  
Healthy late season rains pushed back bud-break and the growing season by 3-4 weeks.  We escaped the summer without any extreme heat events that would have accelerated ripening.  Restless to start picking, the team was thrilled to kick off red grape harvest with the careful selection of Gamay and Trousseau clusters at the end of September.  
First, the vibrant light red hue of the wine just looks delicious.  It’s tough not to snap a photo of the bottle with a sunny backdrop every time we see the bottle.  Inviting watermelon, ripe strawberry, and lush fruit punch lined with firm, energetic, red berry.  Unfiltered thick girth and scrumptious textures marry a taut, refreshing zippiness.  Think of it as rosé with a bursting personality and a deep soul, or as the most feathery,