375mL
Only twice in a decade do we get the opportunity to produce late harvest wines. It is a special combination of the timing of the weather (rain and heat) and the variety of grapes. 2011 was a difficult vintage for most of us on the north coast of California because of the large amount of early rains during the harvest. It was however a great year to make late harvest wines. We have made 3 versions of this wine over the years and this is the most spectacular. As the Tocai Friulano from Lowell Stone’s Fox Hill Vineyard was beginning to ripen, a large amount of rain appeared along with some very warm temperatures which caused the perfect conditions for Botrytis Cinerea (Noble Rot) to form. After several weeks of watching the Botrytis spread and intensify we decided to harvest. We have never seen nor heard of in our lives a brix of 60 degrees. After months of trying to get the wine to ferment in French Burgundy barrels beyond 7% alcohol we gave-up. The wine was then aged for two years to increase its complexity and stability. The resulting wine is thick and viscous, like apricot honey, with a final residual sugar of an amazingly decadent 43%. Truly, one of the finest dessert wines ever produced!
A fabulous wine to pair with very sweet fruit desserts or to enjoy with very ripe creamy Gorgonzola cheese, or just pour it over vanilla ice cream.
Background: Monte Volpe announces the second release of the Late Harvest Dolce Alexandra. This wine was made from 100% Tocai Friulano grown in the Madonna Vineyard and produced in the style of the legendary Sauternes. Tocai Friulano is native and the darling grape of Friuli, a region in northeast Italy near the border of Solvenia. This grape is related to Sauvignon Blanc and is also known as Sauvignonasse in France.
Grape Source: The Madonna Vineyard is located near the Russian River in the Ukiah Valley where conditions of higher humidity exist during harvest time. Tocai is somewhat suseptible to botrysis cinera, a naturally occurring mold. During the initial harvest, a small amount of botrysis was noticed and these clusters were left to become totally affected by this beneficial mold. After many foggy mornings, the botrysis arrived at its peak and on November 14th we harvested the grapes at an amazing 60 degrees brix.
Winemaking: The grapes were crushed into bins mixed with rice hulls to soak overnight. The must was pressed off and lees filtered into 100% new French Burgundy barrels for fermentation and aging for the next six months.
Winemaker Notes: The resulting wine is golden in color has aromas of apricot and honey that leap out of the glass. Flavors of apricot, grapefruit and toasty oak lead to a creme-like finish. This wine has a residual sugar of 43% which is balanced by a firm acidity.
Food Pairing: The wine is a superb companion to blue cheeses, foie gras and fresh fruit.
Blend: 100% Tocai Friulano
Cases Produced: 322
Alcohol: 7.0%
Total Acidity: 0.99
pH: 3.91
Brix at Harvest: 60 degrees Brix
Residual Sugar: 43.0%
