Populis Wine, Rosé Wine 2022, Mendocino County, Sonoma, CA

A warm reddish pink, on the nose this one’s is a heady mix of florals, roasted strawberries, and stone fruit. Medium bodied, it’s fresh and juicy but round, with the palate following the nose with good concentration and a lengthy finish.

COUNTRY: USA

STATE: CA

APPELLATION (AVA): Mendocino 

VINEYARD(S):  Zinfandel - Dogali Vineyard and Hawkeye Ranch, Redwood Valley (Mendocino); Pinot Gris - Heringer Estate, Clarksburg; Chardonnay - Lolonis Vineyard, Redwood Valley (Mendocino); Orange Muscat - Hartwick Vineyard, Mokelumne River (Lodi)

VINTAGE: 2022

GRAPES: 70% Zinfandel, 15% Pinot Gris, 10% Chardonnay, 5% Muscat

PRACTICE: Dry farming, organic with some biodynamic practices

VINIFICATION: Zinfandel and Pinot Gris were whole cluster pressed, fermented in steel, and aged with micro oxygenation. The Chardonnay and Orange Muscat were destemmed and skin-fermented for 10 days. Unfiltered.

STYLE: Still

COLOR: Warm reddish pink, slightly cloudy

BODY: Light-Medium bodied

TASTE: Dry

PRIMARY AROMAS: white flowers, roasted strawberries, ripe peaches,  

FLAVOR: Round but juicy acidity, with notes of red berries and ripe stone fruit and a savory character.

FORMAT: 750ml

ALCOHOL: 12.5%

SERVICE AND SUGGESTION: Serve chilled. Serve with roasted salmon and a peach and feta salad.

ABOUT THE PRODUCERS: Shaunt Oungoulian and Diego Roig

Shaunt and Diego lease the vineyards and work the vines. In their wine growing, they strive to preserve the indigenous microbes on the grapes and in the soils so that they can have healthy wines that don’t need adjusting or stabilizing in the cellar. 

Shaunt was a chemist before he enrolled in UC Davis’s Viticulture and Enology program, where he was introduced to natural wines by some of his classmates. Identifying with the non-interventionist approach to winemaking, he went to France and worked under Philippe Valette in Mâcon and Julie Balgany in Fleurie, both of whom balance technical knowledge with a non-interventionist approach. They instilled in him the belief that one must embrace tradition and innovation at once in order to make expressive wines.

Diego comes from a family of grape growers and winemakers, and was destined for the trade practically from birth. He’s worked under talented winemakers from California, France, Italy, and New Zealand, and from his experiences believes that the best wines come when one pays the utmost respect to nature.