Birichino : Bechthold Vineyard Cinsault Old Vine 2023

Characteristics and Tasting Notes of Birichino Bechthold Vineyard Cinsault Old Vine 2023

Tasting

Nose
The bouquet reveals exceptional aromatic finesse with delicate floral notes of violets and iris.

Palate
On the palate, this wine captivates with its silky texture and delicacy.

An exceptional Cinsault from California’s oldest vineyard

The estate
Founded in 2008 by Alex Krause and John Locke in Santa Cruz, Birichino cultivates 10 hectares in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Chalone, and the Sierra Nevada in California. The two co-founders, former collaborators of Randall Grahm at Bonny Doon, now run this estate focused on expressing historic terroirs. The name of the estate means “mischievous” in Italian, reflecting its innovative approach that favors indigenous fermentations and aging in neutral barrels. The dry-farmed, century-old vineyards produce vibrant and aromatically complex wines.

The vineyard
The historic Bechthold vineyard, located in the Mokelumne River appellation in Lodi, one of the coolest regions of the Central Valley, is home to Cinsault vines planted in 1886, making it the oldest vineyard of this grape variety in the world. These centenarian vines are organically farmed without irrigation on fine Tokay sandy loam soils enriched with granitic minerals. The Californian region of Lodi benefits from a climate tempered by the breezes of the Sacramento River delta, creating ideal conditions despite hot summer days.

Winemaking and aging
The grapes are fully destemmed before a gentle crushing and early saignée. Fermentation takes place with indigenous yeasts, preserving the natural expression of the terroir. After aging, the wine is neither fined nor filtered and undergoes only one gentle racking at bottling.

Grape variety
100% Cinsault.