2005 Vin de Paille Sacrérouge

Production Notes

The 2005 Tablas Creek Vineyard Vin de Paille Sacrérouge is Tablas Creek’s second bottling (and first since 2003) of this traditional Mediterranean technique for producing dessert wines. Ripe grape bunches are carefully laid down on straw-covered benches in our greenhouses, and allowed to dehydrate in the sun. When the grapes reach the desired concentration (usually in about 3 weeks) they are crushed by foot and fermented in small open-top fermenters using only native yeasts. When they reach their desired level of extraction, we press them and move the juice to oak barrels to continue fermenting until it reaches an alcohol level where the sweetness of the wine is in balance with its acids, tannins, and mineral characteristics.

The grapes for our Vin de Paille were grown on our 120-acre certified organic estate vineyard.

The 2005 Vin de Paille Sacrérouge is made from 100% Mourvèdre grapes. We also made a two white vins de paille in 2005: a Vin de Paille blend of Viognier, Grenache Blanc, and Marsanne, and our 100% Roussanne Vin de Paille “Quintessence”.

The 2005 vintage was one of nature’s lucky breaks, with excellent quality and higher-than-normal yields. The wet winter of ’04–’05 gave the grapevines ample groundwater, and a warm period in March got the vines off to an early May flowering. The summer was uniformly sunny but relatively cool, and harvest began (relatively late for us) in the 3rd week of September. The grapes spent nearly a month longer than normal on the vine, and the resulting wines were intensely mineral, with good structure and powerful aromatics. The Mourvèdre was harvested (earlier, compared to our other varietals) between October 11th and October 28th. The grapes for the Sacrérouge were among our last harvested, and spent much of the month of November in our greenhouses.

The wine, after pressing, was aged in four new French oak barrels for 20 months before being bottled in May of 2007.

Tasting Notes

The 2005 Vin de Paille Sacrérouge has a sweet nose of dates, plums, and figs, with dark cherries, cassis and chocolate in the mouth. The finish is sweet and long with lingering fig, chocolate, and mineral notes.

Reviews

[...more recent Tablas Creek press]

Food Pairings

  • Semi-sweet chocolate desserts
  • Prochiutto-wrapped figs
  • Red berry tarts
  • Aged cheeses
Vin de Paille Sacrerouge

Not Available for Purchase

Blend

  • 100% Mourvèdre

Technical Notes

  • Sugar at Pressing: 339 g/l
  • Residual Sugar: 142 g/l
  • 13.6% Alcohol by Volume
  • 200 375ml Cases Produced

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