It is so exciting. We are getting better and better at capturing the stunning potential of Markus Bokisch's hillside Verdelho vineyard in the Borden Ranches section of Lodi. The vineyard is supremely rocky and full of iron; cool wind flows down from the nearby Sierras to keep the vines cool as the fruit ripens. Once again, we pressed the fruit very carefully and minimized both skin and oxygen contact. We fermented in barrel, but have kept the barrels topped during the 5 months of maturation, and we have prevented complete malo-lactic fermentation. The wine is very sharply etched, with persistent minerality and a severity that makes the head snap back.

It also has the power that marks the 2013 vintage. We had great success with the wine in 2012, but that wine in the end seemed somewhat rustic and brutish-- raw power. This year we have produced more of a diplomat, a Roman Senator.