Region: California
Appellation: Redwood Valley, Mendocino
Color/Style: Rosé Wine
Grapes: Zinfandel, Colombard, Valdiguié, Carignan

The 2023 pink lemonade is, as always, a blend of all the varieties planted at Ricetti Vineyard.  The blend is composed of two separate picks.  The first of these picks is the earlier-ripening varieties at Ricetti – Abouriou and Zinfandel (which contribute tannin and color), as well as some Colombard (for acidity).  This pick was crushed and left to ferment on skins for 7 days, with the goal of extracting a good portion of the tannins from the Abouriou skins.  The wine was then pressed to stainless steel to finish primary fermentation. Once sugar-dry, the wine was moved to neutral barriques to age for 6 months.

The second pick, three weeks later, comprises the later-ripening varieties at Ricetti – Valdiguié, Carignan and Colombard.  This pick was very minimally crushed, with a full third of the fruit left intact on the bottom of the tank to undergo carbonic fermentation.  The goal with this style of fermentation was to extract much less tannin and produce a fruitier, lighter wine, as a counterbalance to the earlier, more tannic pick.  After 5 days whole cluster in tank, the partially fermented fruit was pressed to stainless steel.  Once primary fermentation finished, the wine was moved to neutral barriques to age for 5 months.

In late March, these two field blend components were racked out of their barriques and blended just before bottling, to create one comprehensive Ricetti field blend.

Indigenous yeast fermentation. SO2: 10 ppm total.  No other additions, unfined and unfiltered.

‘pink lemonade’ looks like electric pink lemonade during fermentation, and was named as such.