The Heritage Club - November 2020
November features wines from Skinner Vineyards, located in El Dorado, California. The Skinner legacy goes back more than a century and a half; what started as a brandy company (started by the owner's great-grandfather) has now turned into a fantastic wine producer in one of the more unique viticulture areas in California.
Skinner 2019 El Dorado Grenache Blanc
Producer: Skinner Vineyards & Winery
Region: El Dorado, California
Grape Varietal: Grenache Blanc
Viticulture: Fine-grained volcanic rock, shale, and granite soil at high California elevations
Method: 5 months lees in concrete, stainless, and neutral French Oak
Serving Suggestions: Serve cold, between 45-55 degrees
Age: 1- 5 years in cellar conditions
Nose: Honeysuckle, crushed rock, and white peach
Tasting Notes: Full-bodied with a creamy texture and notes of lemon zest, pear, + yellow apple
WHY WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS WINE
Simply put, Grenache Blanc is not a wine that is easy to find or that many wine consumers know much about. Grenache Blanc is a color mutation of Grenache that has produced full-bodied white wines. This particular wine showcases the lees again (creamy/bready taste and feel) as well as the French oak barrels that give the wine a wonderful, balancing, roundness. We are also huge fans of wine that showcases the soil type it was produced in. This Grenache Blanc exhibits a very nice minerality that perfectly balances the wine, and makes it a fun white for sipping on.
Skinner Native Red 2018
Producer: Skinner Vineyards & Winery
Region: El Dorado, California
Grape Varietal: Mission, Petite Bouchet, Trousseau, Carignan, Zinfandel, Cinsault, Grenache, Mourvedre, Marsanne, Viognier
Viticulture: Fine-grained volcanic rock, shale, and granite soil at high California elevations
Method: 10 months sur lees, neutral French Oak
Serving Suggestions: Slightly chilled
Age: With this many different varieties it's tough to know how it will age, but this wine is very crushable right now.
Nose: Raspberry, red/purple flowers, and black cherry
Tasting Notes: Very fun, red fruit driven wine with roses and a nice minerality
WHY WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS WINE
This wine is special to the Skinners because these varieties were the same varieties planted by many previous Skinner generations and other varieties native to El Dorado. This wine is their reflection on where they have been and where they are going as a producer. Many blends are pretty straightforward and you can easily pick out which grape is doing what. With this blend, we cannot really pick out which is doing what and why, but the bottom line is that it is a delicious wine. All in all, this wine is fun and balanced while showcasing a great deal of winemaking skill.