Wine Notes
Vintage:
2025
Appellation:
Shenandoah Valley, CA
History:
Verdelho hails from the islands of Madeira, due west of Morocco, and was widely cultivated as early as the 1600’s. Its exact origin remains a mystery; it may have originated on Madeira itself. By 1872 Verdelho constituted two-thirds of the island’s vineyards. Originally, it was used to make Madeira’s famous sweet dessert wines along with the Bual, Malvasia, and Sercial varieties. In time, Verdelho became the most widely planted white variety within the DOC region. It was taken to the Azores, Australia, and Portugal and has been re-born in California as a zesty, layered, and dry table wine.
Vineyard:
Verdelho is one of a handful of white wine varieties that do well in warm macro climates since it can develop multilayered fruit profiles and retain its acidity. One great terroir is the Shenandoah Valley in Amador County, home of the Sisney Ranch. The red granitic soils produce spicy wines. Verdelho has small, open clusters with very petite, oval shaped berries that give good concentration. The block is one acre and is meticulously farmed by Jeff & Margie Runquest, along with their astute and dedicated viticulturist, Pat Rohan. The trellis system is a lyre which evenly spaces the shoots to provide dappled sunlight to the fruit. This, in addition to fruit thinning, results in maximizing flavors.
Vintage:
Fortunately, we had another almost “normal” growing season. The rainfall in Plymouth was 35 inches, slightly above normal. Spring weather was mild for flowering and the fruit set was good. Summer weather was also normal: warm but not overbearing with heat spikes. Harvest weather was mild with no inclement events. Almost a perfect year.
Fermentation & Aging:
The grapes were harvested on August 25, two days later than 2024. The Brix was 23.9° with a pH of 3.42 and total acid of 7.6 g/L. The juice was fermented in stainless steel, using X5 yeast until dry, then transferred with lees to neutral French oak barrels for sur lie aging for over 60 days. The wine was bottled on December 17, 2025.