Special Release Nebbiolo
2018

Winemaker’s Notes

If you’ve ever toured Piemonte in northwest Italy, you will have tasted the incredible Barolo and Barbaresco wines of the region—maybe alongside some rib-coating wild boar stew. Most winemakers I know put the best of these wines at the pinnacle of vineyard expression and wine complexity and, similar to red Burgundy in many regards, the wines can achieve an effortless combination of aromatic detail, textural depth, and clarity of flavor. When we were offered the opportunity to experiment with a small lot of mountain-grown local Nebbiolo, we knew it would be a fun endeavor.

Nebbiolo needs warm – but not hot – days, and warm – not too cold – nights, and a long ripening season. These are the exact conditions at June Mountain Vineyard, located on western Spring Mountain between Napa and Sonoma.

We vinified the fruit using traditional methods of whole-cluster fermentation followed by long aging in a large neutral cask. The results are wonderful—all 80 cases!

Great aromatic complexity: red, blue, and black fruits, white flowers, white pepper, and dried rose. Red and black cherry fruit leads the wine. The tannins are super-fine and linger the entire length of the palate integrated within the deep tarry texture. Beautifully long and persistent with mineral lift and rosehip spice. You could age this for twenty years, but honestly, why wait? However, I do recommend drinking it over two or three evenings to watch the complexity and layers steadily unfold.

The hand-painted watercolor label was designed by prominent illustrator and DuMOL logo artist, Craig Frazier. The thistle thrives in Northern California and also speaks to the birthplace of our Winegrower, Andy Smith. This artwork is intended to reflect the detail, beauty, and place of our wines.

Andy Smith