Pliocene 2023

Stolpman’s Pre Clonal, Own Rooted Mourvèdre
In 2016, we sought out the noblest heritage strain of Mourvèdre from the Enz Vineyard, which was planted during the Gold Rush in San Benito County.  Never bred by commercial nurseries for high yields and profit, the Enz strain Mourvèdre naturally crops very few small clusters.  We own rooted the Enz cuttings at 6,000 vines/acre, so tight that all work must be done on foot, by hand.
The marquee Mourvèdre block sits on our highest elevation at a southeastern exposure.  Only the top of the Limestone cap makes the cut into the Pliocene cuvee and from this height, the tectonic marvel of our transverse range and rolling hills of former freshwater seabed, now Limestone chalk, all come into view.  We named the wine for the Pliocene Era, when the seashells became Limestone and arose from below the water line.
Healthy late season rains pushed back bud-break and the growing season by 3-4 weeks.  Knowing we were looking at a delayed harvest, we thoroughly shoot-thinned our vines to reduce the yield and enable the vines to ripen a smaller crop-load.  We escaped the summer without any extreme heat events that would have accelerated or compacted ripening.  October proved unusually warm and Mourvèdre soaked in the heat through the month to beautifully ripen in early November.
Crimson and violet foretell a red fruit blast on the front palate.  The 2023 Pliocene shows an unprecedented level of polish with candied fruit emerging towards the finish. Soft supple textures – French toast with a raspberry syrup drizzle.  Mourvèdre’s tell tale meatiness shows itself as a juicy, sliced roast, refreshed by frothy and bright tzatziki.