2012 Kesner Old Vines Grenache

WINEMAKER: Jason Kesner
VARIETAL: Grenache
REGION: Sonoma County, California, USA
VITICULTURE: Organic

"Kesner Wines was formed in 2002, during my tenure managing Hudson Vineyards in Carneros. Growing fruit for many of the top winemakers in the country, and then sorrowfully seeing my year's work leave on other people's trucks drove me to stay up all night and hand press a single barrel of Chardonnay during that harvest. The light bulb went off. A cycle was complete. Low impact farming, and low impact winemaking drive the wines. There is no manipulation of the wine through additions of yeast, acid or bacteria.

All French cooperage is used for aging, with 15-30% being new barrels. All of the wines are aged on their lees, and then are racked and blended only once before bottling, in order to bring together the individual characters of each of the barrels. The wines are overwintered and bottled after approximately 16 months. Vintage to vintage variations are encouraged as the hope is that the growing season leaves a heavier print on the wine than does the hand of the winemaker.

I have approached winemaking from a very strong foundation in the vineyard. I grew up in the vineyards here in California, learning to prune, drive tractors and turn on wind machines to ward of frost, at an early age. I think more winemakers should own a well worn pair of pruning shears. Winemaking is at its core, an extension of farming."