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Apricots is an equal parts blend of Grenache and Sangiovese, with a bit of story to it with regards to the name. Back the mid ‘90s Adam crafted two bottlings of Apricots, back then from Roll Ranch Syrah in Upper Ojai and Zinfandel from neighboring Hall Ranch (where the ‘Apricots’ water wagon drawn on our label is still parked along Highway 150).
Those wines were gutsy and fruit-filled but they also showed a sinewy profile of acidity and tannin that more resembled an Italian wine. The Zinfandel vines that provided for those blends are long gone, but Adam had hankered for years to re-create that style of blend, and finally resurrected it in 2010. We’ve settled into releasing each new Apricots after 5 years of bottle aging.
Grenache and Sangiovese is an unusual blend, sort of a pan-Mediterranean endeavor, and our Tasting Room visitors love how the two fuse. There’s an expansive aroma of raspberry and dried rose, moist tobacco, iron and herbs—it’s both wild and fruity. At first this wine comes on with a spicy firmness up front (somewhat Nebbiolo-like) then those tannins flip into the back end as the wine opens. There is a lively sense of weight, gently coating with sweet cherry and dark plum but also pushed along by the smooth current of pomegranate. Resinous notes of exotic spice dot the mouthwatering finish with grit.
This bottling will continue aging gracefully, but we’ve already done the most imperative work cellaring it for you. It’s styled to be food friendly and is really enhanced by something as simple as good sliced mortadella with bread, but feel open to play with your pairings.
Vinification: traditional open-top fermentation | Barrel Aging: 16 months in French oak barrels | Alc: 13.5%| Total Production: 93 cases | Blend:50% Grenache 50% Sangiovese |