One of the greatest superpowers that a small wine producer like Ricci Vineyards can exhibit is the freedom and flexibility to make the wines we want to see made. Not all wineries and wine brands can claim the same. A lot of the time, wine decisions come down to the bottom line for the winery — what can easily be sold without a lot of extracurricular effort. A common quote that gets repeated out here at Ricci is that we make wines that we as a family want to drink. If we can’t sell a certain wine within a reasonable timeframe, it could end up that we are stuck with it. That doesn’t irk us too much, as it means more for us. Seriously though, we want to make wines that don’t necessarily cater to every corner of the wine-drinking populace but lean into the uniqueness and fun we should be having while working as part of the wine industry. Unfortunately, for some producers out there, this concept has been completely abandoned for the sake of maximizing profit.
A few years ago, we introduced the first of our pét-nat offerings (a sparkling Chardonnay if you weren’t aware) and then ventured into that world further by creating a pinot noir pét-nat — the ever-popular “Spazzino” — that has quickly become one of the best-selling wines in our portfolio. We certainly are not the first producers to create pét-nat wines, not by a long shot, but the fact that 90%+ of the people who are introduced to Ricci are completely unaware that this style of winemaking exists goes to show that there isn’t enough emphasis on embracing the quirky, fun and weird-in-good-way that the wider wine world can offer.
To this point, we at Ricci are always striving to innovate and come up with new ideas, both in the vineyard but in our winemaking endeavors as well. There are two different styles of wine that we’ve considered attempting for quite some time, but it wasn’t until we had the pieces in place — namely, our winemaker, Andrew Rankin — where we felt confident enough to know we could execute them with the level of quality we expected out of our already-released wines. We think you will be absolutely thrilled with these new releases, and in the unfathomable possibility that you aren’t, it will only be a matter of time before we go back to the drawing board to create a new creation that will hit the mark. Without further wait, here are the new wines…
BLOCK 87 CHARDONNAY
The style in which we made the first of our newly released wines might be familiar to some of you reading this, but definitely not everyone. Our Block 87 Chardonnay is a Chardonnay crafted through a process known as skin-contact or skin-fermentation. Commonly these white wines are known as “orange” wine — but no citrus fruit is ever involved in their production. The name is actually derived from the color of the finished wine. You might experience an orange-hued, amber glow that comes from the bottle, which is a result of the Chardonnay juice fermenting on the skins of the grapes. Typically, traditional white wines are made by pressing the juice and fermenting off the skins almost immediately, but with orange wines you let the skin, seeds, juice and even sometimes the stems all hang out and comingle together in a melting pot of tannic richness.
Historically, orange wines hail from Georgia (not the state with the ‘Dawgs — but the country just north of Armenia and Azerbaijan). For at least 5,000 years, but possibly longer, winemakers have been crafting wines in this manner. For Georgian winemakers, traditional white wines are referred to as “wines without mother” — as they lack the full embrace of the skins and seeds. For orange wine, this is certainly not the case.
For our own Block 87 Chardonnay, Andrew left the juice in contact with the skins for approximately two weeks — but in some cases, orange wines can be sitting on the skins for multiple months. It really depends on stylistic choice and we at Ricci felt that two weeks was plenty in terms of achieving the boldness and tannic structure that these wines are typically associated with having. Known for honeyed notes of jackfruit, juniper and hazelnut, this wine is the perfect accompaniment to any spicy, curry-centric flavor profiles found in Indian and Asian cuisine.
Don’t dare misidentify this as a white wine because you will not only piss off the proud and devout contingent of orange wine aficionados; but more than anything you will be doing yourself a disservice — these wines are completely in their own category. There is little doubt at Ricci Vineyards that this wine will confidently take its place on the mantle of the most cherished, well-received wines that we’ve ever put forth.
“ROMEO” CARBONIC ST. LAURENT
The other new offering that is making its grand unveiling this Spring is another departure from what most people would consider traditional winemaking practices. Carbonic maceration is a process unlike “normal” winemaking — where fruit is picked, destemmed, crushed, fermented and then put to bed in an aging vessel of choice by the winemaker. Not the case with carbonic wines. Instead, whole clusters are subjected to a tank where they are deprived of oxygen, thereby creating an anaerobic environment where only carbon dioxide exists. Once fermentation starts taking place under these conditions — the act of yeast converting sugars into alcohol — the process actually occurs within the individually-enact grapes and eventually the alcohol buildup and pressure within the grape gets to be so great that the grapes crush themselves. Before you shed a tear thinking of all the little grapes that explode under the buildup of their own gasses, just remind yourself that these are grapes and they have no feelings — but also, their sacrifice leads to creating a wine that can be described as a boozy fruit punch and quaffable to the point that chugging it by the bottle would be an easy guilty pleasure.
The French have actually been making carbonic wines for quite some time. You may be familiar with the term “Beaujolais” which is the region where this style of wines first gained popularity. However, carbonic wines are done in plenty of different methods, with some being completely carbonic and others only partially, and with different types of grapes. For us, our representation into the world of carbonic wines is a 100% carbonic St. Laurent. Think of the gamey, slightly savory profile of our standard St. Laurent but with an element of pizazz and cartwheels thrown in for your tastebuds. Regardless of what style or type of carbonic red wine you have in your wine rack, the expectation should be that the resulting juice in the bottle is going to be something that will be light, fruity, and will make you giggle on a summer day. Seriously, this is a red wine that you should have zero qualms with throwing into the fridge and chilling down a bit. Enjoy it by a pool, in a park, shamelessly out of a coffee mug or straight out of the bottle — there is no judgement passed because this carbonic wine is what the French would call “glou glou”… easily drinkable and in abundance.
