Our 2011 rosé was such a big hit, we rented twice the tank space to make more in 2012. And boy are we delighted with the results! Once again our blend leads with Pinot Noir and is enhanced by Syrah and Grenache for a wonderfully layered and complete wine. A beautiful light reddish-orange color, with a nose of strawberries, ruby red grapefruit, watermelon, rose petals and wet slate. The palate delivers lively flavors of cranberry, more fresh strawberry, rhubarb, hints of ripe apple peel similar to our 2011, and a long finish that lingers on the mineral notes.
An obvious sibling of our previous two Small Town Pinot, this vintage represents a small departure with the addition of 35% Roberts Road vineyard fruit from the Petaluma Gap to complement our Freestone vineyard sources. Weighing in at just 13.7% alcohol (yes. . . in CA that actually merits the modifier “just”), the wine has a purplish-ruby color that ultimately appears darker in the glass than we expected. A wonderful and expressive nose of clove, cola nut, bay leaf, pine needles, cherry, mixed berries and candied fruit is followed by broad and rich flavors of black cherry and briary, spicy berry chutney with an apple skin and earth layer adding complexity. A complete wine with excellent acidity and generously ripe yet balanced fruit, enhanced by a gorgeous herbal note and structured yet inviting tannin. Given its youth and recent bottling, we recommend allowing the wine a brief interlude in the cellar as it prepares to unveil its true nature a year or so down the road.
Beginning with Ray Teldeschi’s Dry Creek Valley ranch and Greywacke Vineyard in the Russian River Valley, our 2010 Kalen’s includes 12.5% Las Madres Carneros syrah and another 12.5% Steiner syrah from the Bennett Valley side of Sonoma Mountain. These diverse and distinct components join together to create a wonderfully complete and simply delicious Big Boy Blend. Like Big Boys of yore, this incredibly dark wine leads with a complex nose of blackberry, black cherry, earth and peppery spice, complemented by hints of graphite, black licorice and vanilla. Expressive flavors of blackberry, dark cherry and black plum start the palate off, leading to notes of cinnamon, smoked meat, tobacco and baking spices to round out the finish. Rich and full, yet balanced, with a complexity and structure that harken back to the ‘06 vintage. We expect the wine to open up nicely by mid-to-late 2013 and drink wonderfully for years to come.