Engracia Sonoma Mixed 6-Pack
Sold by: Winston Winery
$119.99 $194.00 38% off List Price
2 - 2013 Syrah, Deerfield Vineyard, Sonoma Valley 750ml
2 - 2013 Chardonnay, Silva Vineyard, Sonoma Coast 750ml
2 - 2013 Angelica, Deerfield Vineyard, Sonoma Valley, 375ml
Hola Amigos! I am excited to be bringing you this mixed 6 pack of Engracia Wines. This is a great way for you to see what we are all about. Small lot, single vineyard wines that showcase the fruit and expression of the amazing places they are grown. Below are some notes on each of the wines. Salud y buen provecho!
2013 Silva Vineyard Chardonnay:
The grapes were all hand-harvested by Mike and his crew. Then the grapes were taken to the winery were they were whole cluster pressed. Epernay II (CEG by Uvaferm) Yeast was used to inoculate the fermentation and was 100% barrel fermented in neutral French oak. Malolactic fermentation was inhibited and the lees were stirred twice a week for 4 months.
This wine has a great balance of acidity, roundness and complex aromas and flavors. The racing acidity is cut by the roundness of the barrel fermentation and lees integration. The lees give the wine a creamy mouth feel which is usually received from secondary malolactic fermentation. Even though the wine was barrel fermented the oak is subtly noticeable without being the dominant aroma and flavor.
2013 Deerfield Vineyard Syrah
The grapes were all hand-harvested by Mike and Deerfield’s crew. At the winery they go through a triple hand sorting system removing as much of the MOG (Material Other than Grape – leaves, stems, etc.) as possible. The grapes are not crushed, they are whole berry fermented which causes the fruit to ferment from the inside out. Rhone strain yeast was used to inoculate the fermentation. Malolactic bacteria were used to inoculate the wine in order to get the wine to go through secondary fermentation. The wine was aged in neutral French oak barrels for 28 months
This Syrah is an attempt to make a “Cali-Euro-Centric” Syrah. Big, bold, dark fruit mixed with slight earthiness gives this Syrah multi-dimensional aromas and flavors. Integrated round tannins combined with bright acidity lend it to aging for 7+ years. This wine is unfined & unfiltered. Yes- it may throw some sediment
2013 Deerfield Vineyard “Angelica”
Angelica is a fortified wine that was made from a saignée (juice bleed off) from our 2013 Syrah from Deerfield Ranch’s Estate Vineyard. We bled off some fresh juice from our Syrah, allowed it to ferment slightly in a neutral French oak barrel then halted the fermentation by adding high proof grape spirit. The wine spent a year in the barrel un-topped to encourage oxidation. The oxidation allowed it to gain the complex nutty and caramel aromas of that of a Tawny Port. Due to its high sugar, and alcohol content this wine was made without the addition of sulfites.
This wine was intentionally oxidized to give it a Tawny Port like character of nuttiness and caramel without having to wait 10 years or more. There are also hints of vanilla from the oak stave inserts. This wine is unfined & unfiltered. Yes- it may throw some sediment
I love this Chardonnay. I can’t believe I haven’t written a CT note yet, but it’s probably because I end up drinking the whole bottle. No detailed notes, but it got an awesome minerality, creamy and viscous without the butter/oak. Great acidity. I have had with food, alone, slightly chilled and room temp. Always delicious. Nice job Mike!
Thank you Trifecta, You make a great point about the serving temp of the chardonnay. I feel it tastes best slightly chilled - 50 - 55 degrees. Not right out of the refrigerator.
I do hope many of you recognize Mike as my erstwhile colleague and WineSmith’s Assistant Winemaker, taking care of you wooters for years. With ten years’ experience under his belt making his own wines off the Silva Vineyard, he has finally lost his mind and gone commercial.
I love the style of these wines. While not as eccentric as my peculiar offerings, Mike’s wines are evidence that we share a sense of duty to be true to the vineyard, eschew excessive elaborations like butter, oak, raisins and excessive alcohol, and offer wines with balance, restraint and longevity potential.
These are graceful, Eurocentric wines which don’t shout for attention but are deftly pleasing to the palate. I would call the Chardonnay a Pouilly Fuisse style, full of golden delicious apples, fresh acidity and natural lushness.
The Syrah, well - I don’t normally like Syrah because it usually lacks fruit, but this one is so wonderfully rich and generous that I love it. Quite full and dense, but by no means austere, it has an annoying tendency to disappear before one is really through with it!
The Angelica is quite authentic - tawny port fans will love its aged aromas of marzipan and toasted marshmallow.
Please take this opportunity to welcome Mike into the woot circle of trusted practitioners. This mixed selection is a great opportunity to get to know his work.
-Clark Smith
Winemaker, WineSmith
PS The Pinot Noir, which was featured on an earlier woot, is like a Gevrey Chambertin from the Côte de Beaune - redolent in ethereal perfume, dreamlike but full of depth.
Are you willing to take care of states that woot won’t ship to as you have in the past?
I just received (Thursday) a half case of the Syrah from another site. So I will be a little overstocked on the Syrah, but would love to try the others in this offer.
Please consider a “red only” option with your next offer.
Yes sir, always!!!
I will certainly do so. I only have 4 wines bottled. 2013 was our first commercial year. I decided to stop bootlegging and go legit in 2013
I thought this would be a great way for people to try the other wines I make. Especially on the Chardonnay, I always tell people, if you don’t like chardonnay you will like mine. Wine David loved it, perhaps he can chime in with some notes???
Is your cell phone working yet or should we email you?
Phone is working, either way is good
I’m on the fence. I’m definitely interested in the Syrah and the Chard sounds like the type of Chard I like, but I don’t know that I want/need the Angelica. We have about 18 dessert wines/ports in the cellar already and we don’t really drink them that often.
Someone convince me.
If you have a friend who loves dessert wines then just split up the offer.
Just a heads up, I’m here with the winemaker on a chance visit. Live lab rat here and ready for questions…
I will try not get distracted…
Seems it’s the rest of us you need to worry about.
What are you two, or more, drinking?
The Syrah of course! Delicious!
Wish you and your Ar were her… We could open everything Mike has.
The more the merrier
Last chance to get some of this awesome mix pack… But if you do miss out, contact me directly… You know the drill