Emme Wines "Pink Lemonade" Field Blend 2024

Bright red berries and fruit, lemon acidity, slight pop rocks texture, and an easy finish. "Pink Lemonade" looks like electric pink lemonade during fermentation, and was named as such.

The 2024 "Pink Lemonade" field blend is, as always, a blend of all the varieties planted at Ricetti Vineyard, composed of two separate picks. The first is the earlier-ripening varieties – Abouriou and Zinfandel (which contribute tannin and color), as well as some Colombard (for acidity). This pick was crushed and left to ferment on skins for 7 days, with the goal of extracting a good portion of the tannins from the Abouriou skins. The wine was then pressed to stainless steel to finish primary fermentation. Once sugar-dry, the wine was racked to neutral barriques to age for six months.

In 2024, the consistently hot weather in Redwood Valley meant that the second pick came soon after the first pick – only a week later. This second pick is of the traditionally later-ripening varieties – Valdiguié, Carignan and Colombard. These grapes were very minimally crushed, with a full third of the fruit left intact on the bottom of the tank to undergo carbonic fermentation. The goal with this style of fermentation was to extract much less tannin and produce a fruitier, lighter wine, as a counterbalance to the earlier, more tannic pick. After six days of carbonic in tank, the partially fermented fruit was further crushed by foot to add a bit more color to the wine. Two days later, the fruit was pressed to stainless steel to finish primary fermentation. Once sugar-dry, the wine was racked to all neutral barriques to age for six months.

Finally, these two field blend components were racked out of their barriques and blended just before bottling to create one comprehensive Ricetti field blend.

Indigenous yeast fermentation. SO2: 15 ppm total.  No other additions, unfined and unfiltered. 400 cases produced.

Based in Sonoma, California, Rosalind Reynolds founded Emme Wines (named after her grandmother) in 2018 after years in the industry alongside the likes of Les Capriades, Martha Stoumen, and Pax (where she is also the assistant winemaker). Rosalind focuses on "old school" California varietals, like Carignan, Colombard, Merlot and Zinfandel, as well as uncommon grapes like Abouriou, Valdiguie and Muscat Vert, all farmed organically and sustainably, and she makes wine without additives and minimal intervention.