The “Enchanted Garden” was planted in 1910 and thrives to this day, a seven-acre Eden Valley Vine Garden lovingly tended by Sue and Stuart Woodman. Elena always knew this would be one of the most special vineyards in the Dandelion family and it was a relationship that Zar had with the Woodman’s to make this happen. In 2022, the wine is made up of two blocks (50/50): one from the original planting in 1910 and one that is 20-years-old. The “La Niña” year in 2022 brought cooler, more mild temperatures, particularly at night, which helped to retain acidity since the respiration of acids occurs to a greater degree when temperatures are warmer. And the acidity is absolutely ripping on this vintage, but trust Elena’s winemaking acumen; this wine remains entirely graceful.
Whole bunches were hand-picked in the second week of March then de-stemmed without crushing the fruit to fill our press exactly. Juice from the free run and pressings were separated then fermented in a small tank between 35º-55ºF degrees Celcius. The wine has a high level of natural acidity at 7.6 g/L, a PH of 2.97, and although bone dry, only 11% alcohol. The wine was bottled directly from tank with a vegan fining, a sterile filtration, and a dose of sulfur.