FORLORN HOPE QUEEN OF THE SIERRA
$24.49
The Queen of the Sierra wines are a celebration of the steep limestone and schist slopes of Rorick Heritage Vineyard in the Sierra Foothills. Made from 100% Estate grown fruit, they are organically farmed, hand-harvested, spontaneously fermented by native yeasts, unfiltered and unfined, with nothing added but minimal effective sulfur. These are honest and pure California estate wines made with soul that are approachable in price as well as in the glass.
Long live the Queen!
- Size: .750L
Description
The 2017 Queen of the Sierra red estate blend was grown on the Rorick Heritage Vineyard in Calaveras County at 2000’ elevation, featuring soils comprised of a layer of schist over dolomite-rich limestone. Composed primarily of Zinfandel, Trousseau noir, and Mondeuse, the Queen shows all of the aromatic complexity and textural presence that are the hallmarks of wines grown on the limestone of our estate. It presents with compelling dynamic tension between its bright and forward fruit and the supple tannins and lively acidity that make up this wine’s backbone.
All fruit for our estate red was hand-picked; fermentation was allowed to begin spontaneously with native yeast. Each variety was fermented separately due to differing pick dates: the Trousseau and Mondeuse were each fermented in open top fermentors with 100% stem inclusion; the Zinfandel was destemmed and fermented in a closed-top tank. All lots were pressed at dryness, averaging 14-21 days total time on the skins, and placed into neutral 227L barrique. In the winter of 2018 the individual lots were racked and blended together; they remained in a combination of neutral oak and stainless steel until being bottled unfined and unfiltered in April of 2019. As with all Forlorn Hope wines, no new oak is utilized, and nothing was added to the must or wine (no cultured yeast, ML bacteria, water, tartaric acid, enzymes, nutrients, etc) with the exception of minimal effective SO2.
