Moscato is the most revered of one of the world's oldest known and most aromatic of grapes. Our Moscato dessert wine comes from our Nube Bianco Vineyard located above the Russian River in the beautiful high elevation Potter Valley in Mendocino County. Moscato Elevato is the most traditional styled Moscato dessert wine in Italy. This wine has aromas and flavors of lychee fruit, candied orange peel, honeysuckle blossoms. A charming wine that can be enjoyed as an apertivo or with rich fruit tarts, sweet cakes, or pastries such as cannoli. Fortified with Moscato distillate.
Background: Our Moscato Elevato is produced in a style of the famous fortified Moscato dessert wines which are called Liquoroso and which are produced all over Italy. In Italy they are produced from several varieties of Moscato such as Muscat of Alexandria (Zibbibo), Moscato Bianco and Moscato Giallo.
Harvest: This harvest represents our 26th vintage of Moscato Bianco, but 1st Moscato Elevato. In 2018, we had a somewhat normal growing season, except for being earlier than normal which helped produce a very fragrant wine, with 100% of the grapes coming from the eighth harvest of our own Nube Bianco Vineyard in Potter Valley. Its hot days, cold nights and 1000-foot elevation help to produce great acidity and balancing brightness.
Winemaking: The grapes were machine harvested October 2nd at an average of 22.5 degrees brix. The fruit was crushed and gently pressed to extract the juice without any of the bitterness and tannins from the skins of the grapes. The juice was then cold-settled for 2 days and racked off the sediment before fermenting in stainless steel tanks for 4 weeks. At about 10% sugar, fermenting Moscato juice was placed in neutral white French burgundy barrels that contained Moscato distillate (40% alcohol) which was produced from our Moscato wine. Once added to the barrels the alcohol killed the yeast and stopped the fermentation which produced a highish alcohol, sweet fortified wine.
Winemaker Comments: This wine has rich aromas and flavors of lychee fruit, candied orange peel and honeysuckle blossoms.
Food Pairing: Enjoyable as an apertivo or with fresh fruit tarts, sweet cakes or pastries.
Blend: 80% Moscato Bianco
20% Moscato Bianco distillate
Cases Produced: 86
Alcohol: 16.1%
Total Acidity: 0.67
pH: 3.04
Residual Brix: 10.3%
