Broc Cellars - 'Love White' - Southern Rhône Blend - California, USA - 2021

Tasting notes: Golden fruit, white flower, pleasant salinity
VARIETIES : *31% Marsanne | 24% Albariño | 18% Grenache Blanc | 15% Rousanne | 12% Picpoul
*LOCATION : *Madera, Santa Maria Valley + Yolo County
*VINEYARD : *Love Ranch, North Canyon Vineyard + Windmill Vineyard
*ALCOHOL : *11%
*TOTAL PRODUCTION : **1800 cases **
WINEMAKER’S NOTES : *The grapes were harvested in August and early September to help preserve their natural acidity. All varieties were fermented separately, then aged in neutral French oak barrels with no S02. Malolactic fermentation was allowed to happen naturally. All varieties in this blend play a key role to delivering its unique balance. Picpoul grapes are from cuttings from Rorick Vineyard vines that we grafted onto Marsanne vines at Love Ranch a few years ago. The Picpoul adds brightness to the wine, while Albariño (new for us this release) comes from North Canyon Vineyard and adds beautiful aromatics. Marsanne and Roussanne add lovely texture, while Grenache Blanc provides the balance. Love White is meant to be a fresher style of a Rhône-inspired white that is structured, delicious and infinitely drinkable.
*VITICULTURAL AREA: Love Ranch grows Marsanne, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc and Picpoul for the Love White and is farmed by our friend Oscar Ramos. The vineyard is located 35 miles south of Yosemite National Park in Madera, at 1300 feet in elevation. The soils are made up of granitic schist. We keep a large amount of leaves on the vines to protect against the heat. North Canyon Vineyard is located in Santa Maria Valley and Windmill Vineyard is in Yolo County. All three vineyards are CCOF.
At Broc Cellars, all of our wines are made using spontaneous fermentation, a process that means we only use native yeasts and bacteria that exist on the grapes in order to make wine. We don’t add anything – this includes nutrients, yeast, bacteria, enzymes, tannins or other popular fermentation agents. Sulphur is a naturally occurring element in all wine, the amount found can vary. We add little to no S02, depending on the wine and style.
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The Broc Cellars story begins with a move from Nebraska to California. Chris Brockway grew up in Omaha and felt drawn to wine. Specifically spicy, brambly Zinfandels from California, and took a leap to move out West. He received an oenology degree from Fresno State and began making his first wine in 2002 – it was just one barrel. The following year he made three barrels, and by 2004 had 14 barrels of wine to call his own. Broc Cellars was born and had its first official release in 2006. At the time, the mentality surrounding California wines was “bigger is better”. Chris personally felt the wines to be too big, too much alcohol, too much everything. He set out to do something else. In 2008 he moved to his first winery space in Berkeley, which was originally known as Grape Leaf Cellars, located only one block away from where we are now. This is where Broc found its way.

How we make wine:

Our goal in making wine is to bring out the natural expression of the grape. We start by using only native fermentations, a process that means we only use native yeasts and bacteria that exist on the grapes in order to make wine. We pick grapes early while they are still healthy and less desiccated. This allows for an easier fermentation without the need to add yeast because you don’t have copious amounts of sugar. We also pick the grapes early for good acidity. We don’t add anything – this includes nutrients, yeast, bacteria, enzymes, tannins or other popular fermentation agents. Sulphur is a naturally occurring element in all wine and the amount found can vary. We add little to no sulphur, depending on the wine and style.

Where we source grapes:

We source an eclectic mix of grapes from all over California, working with vineyards as far south as Paso Robles and as far north as Mendocino. All of the vineyards are smaller and farmed organically.
-Broc Cellars