The idea for an early-release, low-sulfur, unfiltered Grenache has been bubbling away for the past three years. Finally, in 2017, the right vintage conditions; cool and long, and the right vineyard: Dry-grown and pruned to single-bud spurs, sparked the Basso project in to life. From the Latin Bassus, meaning low, Basso is low in additions and speaks clearly of the place from which it comes. Simply stated, 2020 was a difficult year (read: pandemic, wildfires) but thankfully, the days got cooler sooner than anticipated allowing for long even ripening.
This fruit was harvested from the McMurtrie Rd vineyard in McLaren Vale. The grapes were inoculated with a wild yeast starter (pied de cuve) and fermented on the skins for ten days. After being pressed to old French oak vats, the wine was aged quietly for ten months, undergoing malolactic fermentation. It was bottled without fining or filtration and a small 27 ppm hit of SO2. If the idea was a bright, crunchy and yet flavorsome red wine…mission accomplished.