Stirm Cabernet Pfeffer

The grapes were picked by hand on September 24th, 2021. At the winery the grapes were given 15 days of whole cluster maceration in redwood fermenters to extract tannins, aroma, and flavor compounds in the skins via once daily pumpovers. About one third of the crop was destemmed. After pressing and settling, the wine was racked into old barrels for 10 months elevage on fine lees. Racked to tank a month prior to bottling we ever use is sulfur.  Bottled August 13th, 2022. 260 cases produced.

Origin: Cienega Valley, California
ABV: 13
USNW Classification: Natural
Varietal & Type: cabernet pfeffer
Vintage: 2022

Tasting Notes

Red currant, wild strawberry, rosemary, structured tannisn

Vineyards

Ron Siletto, a longtime icon of San Benito Viticulture, is the primary source of Cabernet Pfeffer in San Benito County, where the variety is grown, and nowhere else in the world. In France it’s known as Mourtaou/Mancin, an old variety from Bordeaux. There are less than 10 acres of it in the world.

About the Winemaker

Ryan Stirm got his start winemaking at Cal Poly University in San Luis Obispo, but it was only after shifting his focus away from wrestling that he plunged into soil science and agriculture. After winemaking stints in California, Austria, and Australia, he was ready to start his own winemaking project. It wasn’t lab-grade, sterile wine that Ryan was after, however. He was most captivated by wines that reflected a sense of place. Working an internship at Saucelito Canyon winery taught him how to farm and appreciate much older vines, and that’s what the Stirm Wine Co. story revolves around. From the Stirm website regarding the Glenwood Vineyard: Although this is an appellation wine, this Pinot Noir comes from a single vineyard in the heart of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Located at about 1000 ft. in elevation, this southeastern facing 2 acre block was planted in 1997, and has been farmed by us since 2016. It is dry- farmed, no-till, and organic, and is located in a canyon in the Glenwood area surrounded by second growth redwoods, bay trees, and coast live oaks. It is steep, about 30% slopes, and grown on clay loam soils weathered from Purisima Mudstone.

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