Scruffy Vermouth (500 ml) White

Base Wine: The starting point and foundation of this vermouth is a 50/50 blend of still orange wine (Orange Muscat 2024) and fortified white wine (Muscat Canelli 2018), from Hartwick Vineyard in the Clements Hills of Lodi and Lost Hills Ranch in Yorkville Highlands, respectively. The delicately tea-like, gingery Orange Muscat combines with the spicy depth and slightly oxidative notes of fortified and aged Muscat Canelli to provide an unparalleled level of complexity.

Vineyard Notes: Hartwick Vineyard sits on mainly flat, sandy clay loam; alluvium, derived from sandstone at about 80 feet above sea level. The rare and elusive Orange muscat is cane pruned and 10 years old. Lost Hills Ranch is in the rugged Yorkville highlands at about 1500 feet above sea level. The more ‘forceful’ Muscat Canelli is on a west southwest facing slope comprised of sandstone and chloritic schist. The vines are cane pruned and 25 years old.

Cellar Notes: 2024 Orange Muscat was destemmed and skin fermented, pressed at dryness and aged in neutral oak for 12 months prior to blending. 2018 Muscat Canelli was fortified in the old school ‘Angelica’ fashion, ie. as unfermented juice. This has been in neutral oak for 7 years. These two components were blended and then fortified up to ~18% abv with a dizzying array of high-proof brandy based botanical tinctures, 21 in total, including orange peel, wormwood, gentian, orris root, cinchona bark, sage and vanilla. Residual sugar was increased with organic cane sugar for style and balance. Unfined and unfiltered. Minimal effective sulfites were added to base still wine prior to vermouth production