Vineyard: Ricetti

AVA: Redwood Valley, Mendocino, CA

Farming: Organic, Dry Farmed

Harvest Date: 9 October 2025

Bottling Date: 8 April 2026

Alc: 11%

Cases: 100

Valdiguié: always the slowest ripener at Ricetti, and always the last thing we pick.  If we can get it to 21 brix, that’s a big win, even in a warm year.  It is also the least vibrant looking grape at Ricetti – Carignan is deep blue, Colombard is golden green, and Valdiguié is a sort of pale grey/purple.  But, fermentation works its magic, and every year we end up with an incredibly bright purple wine with insane hibiscus aromatics.  Fermentation is a joy and a wonder.

At the winery, the Valdiguié fruit was partially foot crushed and left to ferment whole cluster for 14 days, then pressed just before it went fully sugar dry.  After pressing, the wine finished primary fermentation in stainless steel, then was moved to neutral barrique to age for 6 months and undergo malolactic conversion.

Indigenous yeast fermentation. SO2: 15 ppm total.  No other additions, unfined and unfiltered.

The Valdiguié is a particularly intense shade of violet, and I named it to reflect that color.