2016 Calafia Cellars Verdehlo

The color is light to medium with green hues at the edge of the glass. The wine opens with fresh aromas of kiwi, Pippin apple, and lemon zest. With time in the glass, a second wave of aromas appears: apricot, melon, pear and tropical notes of guava and mango. Flavors parallel the aromas. In the mouth, the texture is rich, round and silky, yet delicate. The wine finishes very crisp and racy, a multi-faceted wine for warm spring/summer afternoons and evenings. 110 cases made

Verdelho hails from the island of Madeira, due west of Morocco, and was widely cultivated as early as the 1600’s! Its exact origin remains a mystery, it may have originated on Madeira itself. By 1872 Verdelho constituted two-thirds of the island’s vineyards. Originally, it was used to make Madeira’s famous sweet dessert wines along with the Bual, Malvasia, and Sercial varieties. With time, Verdelho because the most widely planted white variety within the DOC region. Traders took cuttings to the Azores, Australia, France, and Portugal. It came to California as the main variety in premium white port, but it is now re-born as a zesty, layered, dry & crisp table wine.
Vineyards:
Verdelho is one of a handful of white wine varieties that do well in warm macro climates since it can develop multilayered fruit profiles and retain its acidity. One great terrior is the Shenandoah Valley in Amador County, home of the Sisney Ranch. The red granitic soils produce spicy wines. Verdelho has small, open clusters with very petite, oval shaped berries that give good concentration. The block is one acre and is meticulously farmed by Jeff & Margie Runquest, along with their astute and dedicated viticulturist, Pat Rohan. The trellis system is a lyre which evenly spaces the shoots to provide dappled sunlight to the fruit. This, in addition to fruit thinning, results in maximizing flavors.