Emme Wines - 'Good Oeuf' - Syrah, Merlot - Russian River Valley, Sonoma, CA - NV

NV Syrah/Merlot ‘good oeuf’
*Vineyard: *Falcon Lane and Nakai
*AVA: *Russian River Valley, CA
*Farming: *Organic, Dry Farmed
*Harvest Date: *Handpicked on 1 September 2022 (Syrah) and 28 September 2021 (Merlot) *Bottling Date: *23 March 2023
*Alc: *13%
*Cases: *40
Falcon Lane is a small backyard Syrah vineyard that I’ve been rehabilitating for the last 3 years. It yielded very little fruit in 2020 and 2021, but in 2022 we picked enough Syrah to ferment on its own – a full quarter ton. What a good egg!
The Syrah was carefully placed in a small bin uncrushed and left to ferment carbonically for 5 days. After 5 days, the fruit was foot crushed and left on skins and stems for another 5 days of fermentation. It was then pressed, and the wine was left to finish primary fermentation in stainless steel over the course of another 10 days. Once it was dry, the Syrah was moved to a single neutral barrique to age for 6 months on lees.
The Merlot portion of the blend was picked in late September 2021, and treated similarly. Gently placed whole cluster uncrushed into a tank, it fermented carbonically for a week, and then was pressed with no foot crushing. The wine was placed into a single neutral barrique to age for 17 months.
Just before bottling, the single barrel of 2022 Syrah and single barrel of 2021 Merlot were racked together to tank to form a 50/50 non-vintage blend.
Indigenous yeast fermentation. SO2: 15 ppm at bottling. No other additions, unfined and unfiltered.

*Tasting Notes: *black currants, black pepper, black olives. Brooding and beautiful.

My name is Rosalind, and I farm grapes organically and make wine without additives.
I work within a likeminded community of grape-growers and winemakers in Northern California. 2018 marked the first year I set out to create something of my own, albeit with the welcome support of the talented people who surround me.
Wine, at its core, is about community. Countless hands are involved in every glass you drink – the growers who planted cuttings three generations ago; the field workers who prune the vines in winter, tend them throughout the year and pick the grapes come autumn; the winemakers and interns who footstomp those grapes, forklift bins of fermenting fruit from tank to press, and fill barrels with wine to rest before bottling; and the distributors, restaurateurs, and sommeliers who help bring that bottle to you. An incredible amount of labor and love goes into filling a glass with wine, and I am constantly reminded of and grateful for the community who makes all of it possible. I could not do this alone, nor would I want to.
Similarly, at the end of the day, wine should be enjoyed with your own community of friends and family. I aim to make fresh, bright wines that taste good, encourage thoughtful discussion, and ultimately bring people together.