2008 SIENA - Sonoma County [ $23 ]

Ferrari-Carano’s Italian heritage is reflected in this Sangiovese-based, easy-sipping, multi-dimensional blend. Select lots of grapes were chosen from our vineyards in Alexander, Dry Creek and Russian River Valleys to create a beautifully balanced and medium-bodied wine. SIENA has delicious aromas of cherries, blackberries and currants complemented by sweet vanilla oak and caramel. On the palate, this wine offers ripe, juicy, baked berry pie with anise, cocoa and cola flavors, with lively acidity, supple tannins and a lingering finish.

Vintage Notes

From our valley floor and mountainside vineyards, our vineyards for our SIENA are farmed in shallow, rocky, low-vigor soil that adds impressive depth and concentration of flavor intensity to the wine. A year of fire and ice, we began 2008 battling heavy frost in April, fires in the summer, and heat in the early fall. Reduced yields but intensely flavored, well-balanced, ripe fruit was the happy result of a very challenging growing season. Sangiovese and Malbec grapes were harvested beginning the week after Labor Day and completed by the third week of September.

Winemakers Notes

This wine is primarily Sangiovese blended with Malbec. Grapes were hand-harvested, and upon entering the winery, hand-sorted and then gravity fed directly into tanks for five days of cold soaking. The wines were fermented on the skins for about 10 days until pressing, then individual lots were moved to barrels for malolactic fermentation. After fermentation was complete, the wines were blended and aged in new Hungarian puncheons and older French oak barrels in wine caves until bottling in December, 2009.

Appellation:	Sonoma County
Blend:	74% Sangiovese, 26% Malbec
Cooperage:	20% new Hungarian Puncheon; 80% older French oak barrels
Release Day:	February 2010

Rhonda's Recipe and Pairing Notes Risotto with Gorgonzola and Asparagus SIENA pairs perfectly with savory Italian food, pasta with flavorful tomato sauces, or pizza. SIENA is also delicious with dishes such as Chicken Cacciatore, a duck salad with fruit like raspberries and oranges, or prosciutto on crostini.