Birichino - Enz Vineyard - Mourvèdre 2019
Birichino is located in Santa Cruz, California in the United States. The estate was founded in 2008 by Alex Krause and John Locke after 40 years of winemaking experience in California, France, Italy and beyond. They source from a number of carefully farmed, family-owned, own-rooted 19th and early 20th century vineyards planted by and large in more moderate, marine-influenced climates. Their preference is for minimal intervention, most often favouring native fermentations, employing stainless or neutral barrels, minimal racking and fining, and avoiding filtration altogether when possible. They work alongside 9 vineyards: Antle, Bechthold, Besson, Boer, Enz, Jurassic Park, Lilo, Oasis and Peter Martin Ray.
From the 2017 vintage, Alex Krause and John Locke began working with the Enz family's old dry-farmed, head-trained Mourvèdre planted about a century ago on the limestone and decomposed granite soils of the Lime Kiln Valley in the Cienega Valley, just down the road from Calera on the east side of the Gabilan range. The harvest is manual and part of the grapes are destemmed. Maceration is short, followed by alcoholic and then malolactic fermentation in neutral barrels. Aging lasts 9 months.
Grape variety: 100% Mourvèdre