Martha Stoumen Wines, Post Flirtation White Blend 2022

75% Colombard, 12% Marsanne, 9% Roussanne, 4% Muscat Blanc

Organic

California, United States

From the producer-

"California is my home, and I seek to express wines that represent my land with purity and precision. I have chosen to work with sun-loving grapes: either those historic to California Viticulture, or those that flourish and maintain elegance in California’s warmth, such as Carignane and Nero d’Avola. I utilize natural, traditional winemaking practices I learned while apprenticing in Italy and Southern France. And most importantly, to truly respect my Californian roots, I ensure my vineyards are farmed in such a way that healthy ecosystems are created and maintained."

This is always a fun wine to make, as it marks the beginning of harvest in late August. The Urban Edge Farm is located outside of Oakley, Contra Costa County (affectionately CoCo). The weather and soils of CoCo are reminiscent of the Mediterranean, with a hot land mass, super duper sandy soils, and a near constant cooling wind coming off of the very cold, salty waters of the Carquinez Strait. The old vine Colombard in this blend is versatile, as it maintains basically the same sugar level and acidity on the vine from August to November. When picked in late August it reminds me of a featherweight Basque Txakoli (while our late season Colombard going into our Honeymoon has a more Chenin-like characteristic). The combination of these two vineyards results in a wine full of summer flavors, slightly salty, and extremely drinkable.

Colombard comes from Ricetti Vineyard in Mendocino County; planted in 1948; certified organic; dry farmed on loam. 

Roussanne, Marsanne, and Muscat blanc come from The Urban Edge Farm in Contra Costa County; certified organic, sandy soils.

The co-fermented CoCo fruit (Marsanne, Roussanne, and Muscat blanc) is all tumbled in the press to get just a hint of skin contact before pressing, then juice is fermented on full lees in stainless steel. Early season Colombard is also fermented in stainless steel and adds all the zippiness to this blend. We like both the filtered and hazy versions of this wine, and went unfiltered for the 2020 vintage. We move the wine as little as possible to preserve the CO2 produced from fermentation, which acts as a natural preservative and gives the mouthfeel a little boost. The final blend was bottled after 6 months of aging and once malolactic fermentation was complete.

This thirst-quenching blend tastes like a margarita and a light white wine went on a date and got a tamari glazed dulce de leche for dessert. Lively aromas of grapefruit oil and salty clay mingle for a slightly spritzed sipper that meets you where you’re at.