2005 Vermentino
The 2005 Tablas Creek Vineyard Vermentino is Tablas Creek’s fourth bottling of this traditional Mediterranean varietal, known principally in Sardinia, Corsica, and Northern Italy. It is also grown in the Rhône Valley (particularly Côtes de Provence) where it is known as Rolle. The Vermentino grape produces wines that are bright, clean, and crisp, with distinctive citrus character, refreshing acidity and surprising richness.
Tasting Notes
The 2005 Vermentino shows a clean, mineral nose featuring peppered citrus and pear. Flavors of green apple and lime are heightened by refreshing acidity, good richness, no evidence of oak and a lingering finish.
Technical Details
Appellation
- Paso Robles
Technical Notes
- 14.5% Alcohol by Volume
- 250 Cases Produced
Blend
- 100% Vermentino
Recipes & Pairings
Recipe Suggestions
Food Pairings
- Nearly any fresh seafood
- Oysters on the half shell
- Aioli or Pestos
- Linguine with clam sauce
- Stir fried green vegetables
Production Notes
When we imported our Châteauneuf du Pape clones, our contact in the French nursery service included the Vermentino because he believed it would thrive in the rocky limestone soils of Paso Robles. We have planted about an acre of Vermentino, and it has indeed thrived here.
Our Vermentino grapes were grown on our 120-acre certified organic estate vineyard.
The 2005 vintage was one of nature’s lucky breaks, with excellent quality and higher-than-normal yields. The wet winter of ’04–’05 gave the grapevines ample groundwater, and a warm period in March got the vines off to an early May flowering. The summer was uniformly sunny but relatively cool, and harvest began (relatively late for us) in the 3rd week of September, giving the grapes nearly a month longer than normal on the vine. The resulting wines were intensely mineral, with good structure and powerful aromatics. The Vermentino was harvested in one day on September 29th.
The Vermentino grapes were whole cluster pressed, and fermented using native yeasts in stainless steel to emphasize the minerality of the grapes. To further retain the bright citrus character of the wine, we prevented it from going through malolactic fermentation. The wine was bottled in April 2006.
As part of our ongoing movement toward Stelvin screwcaps for our aromatic whites and our Rosé, we have again bottled the 2005 Vermentino in screwcap. We are convinced that this will keep the wine as pristine as possible, preserving its aromatics and freshness.