We originally created the 2008 version of this wine to celebrate our 10th anniversary as a winery in 2010. With the exotic complexity and food friendliness of a white Rhône-style blend, it is a “red-drinker’s white,” a complex alternative to the more one-dimensional white varietal wines like Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc. It is the perfect complement to its namesake shellfish, as well as chicken or pork dishes with buttery-creamy sauces. *Coquille is pronounced “ko-keel” and it is French for shellfish or scallop, like the scallop shells on the Shelton family coat of arms.
Winemaker Notes:
Enticing nose of spicy pears and white peaches, almond paste/marzipan, a touch of honeysuckle perfume. Multi-dimensional (many layers), a hard-to-describe range of aromatics, intriguing, almost mysterious! In the mouth it is crisply dry yet creamy and round and full-bodied, with nice almond paste on crisp-yet-juicy pear fruit.
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Harvest Date:
- Sept. 2 (Roussanne/Viognier) & 19 (GB/Marsanne), 2022
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Fermentation Characteristics:
- 100% barrel fermented with 7 different yeast strains, including about 15% wild (uninoculated) fermented, then stirred weekly for 5 months. About 50% finished malo-lactic fermentation.
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Cellar Storage/Aging:
- 8 months in all older French barrels: 70% oak, 30% Acacia, 25% 2-yr-old, 75% older/neutral.
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Varietal:
- 40% Grenache Blanc, 30% Roussanne, 20% Viognier and 10% Marsanne.
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Appellation:
- 87% Paso Robles, 13% Mendocino Co. **all Sustainably Grown.
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Release Date:
- September 1, 2023