Ever since a visit to Liguria in the Spring of 1990, I've been enamored of Vermentino (or Rolle, as it's known in France), and since it first appeared in California, thanks to Tablas Creek Vineyards, I'd been aching for a chance to work with the variety. Eventually the opportunity came along to get some of the stuff in the ground, in a spot where I thought it might do something special. Working with Ron Mansfield, with whom I've collaborated now for some twenty years, I instigated a planting of Vermentino on the property that produces the Wylie half of our esteemed Wylie-Fenaughty Syrah. In Spring of 2005 Ron called and said he was ready to put the vines in the ground, and that he also had some Grenache Blanc left over from another project, and what did I think of putting in some Grenache Blanc there, too? Grenache Blanc seemed to be coming on strong in California, and, being intrigued with that, as well, I said "sure,why not?" In 2007 the first grapes were picked, and since there was so little, I decided to co-ferment, on a hunch based on tasting the fruit. The result is a surprise, even to me. A really good surprise!

FRUIT SOURCE:

Rome Vineyard in Georgetown, at 2800 feet elevation, on the North side of the American River Canyon. Mrs. Rome purchased the property several years ago from Butch Wylie. The soils are rocky, and lack much moisture-holding capapcity, so crop loads are kept low, and monitored very carefully. The Grenache Blanc and Vermentino are grown on the Northeast facing exposures.

WINEMAKING NOTES:

Since I'd never worked with either variety before, I relied entirely on my own sense of when the flavors in the fruit seemed nicely developed, and compelling. Both varieties were picked on the 25th of August, and dumped into the press as whole cluster fruit, at average Brix of 22 degrees. pH was 3.22, total acidity was .72. Fermentation began on native yeast, and proceeded slowly; the wine didn't ferment out dry until the last days of September, at which point it was transferred, with all lees, into a variable capacity stainless tank, and where it stayed until the beginning of February, 2008. A spontaneous malolactic fermentation began in late October, but with such a low pH, it never really advanced much at all (less than 15%), though it kept the wine quite cloudy until it was filtered prior to bottling, on the 12th of February.

WINEMAKER'S TASTING NOTES:

Pale in color. Abundant fresh and bright citrus-blossom aromas at first, a penetrating lemon-oil scent, a whiff of flint, and a smaller one of fresh spearmint. Nervy and textured at first taste, then fleshing out nicely in the mouth, with focussing acidity, and a long, juicy finish, very clean aftertaste. Really easy to drink, and essentially irresistible. Almost anything from the sea will taste better with a glass of this wine!

• Production: 127 cases
• Suggested Retail: $20.00
• Release Date: April 1, 2008

Produced And Bottled By Hook Or By Crook, under the direction of Steve Edmunds, winemaker. www.edmundsstjohn.com