2007 Stolpman La Croce

La Croce, Pronounced La Croche, means the Cross in Italian. The wine itself is a cross of cultures as it is a co-fermentation of 60% Sangiovese and 40% Syrah: the Sangiovese descending from Italy, and the Syrah from France. On Stolpman's Estate Vineyard, different blocks of each varietal ripen throughout late September and October, often overlapping. Winemaker Sashi Moorman selects particularly vibrant and concentrated vineyard blocks and picks them within a couple days of each other. The grapes are then cold soaked together for about two weeks, and then the grapes naturally ferment together. This process is known as co-fermentation as two different grape varietals are blended together and fermented together, rather then blended after fermentation, as two different wines. By allowing the two varietals to go through the process of fermentation already mixed together, the flavor profiles are better intertwined. After aging at least 18 months in 100% new French oak, the wine emerges big and intense, with firm tannin structure.