Refosco originates in the Friuli region of Italy and Slovenia. While most Refosco in the U.S. is misnamed and is Mondeuse noire, true Refosco (in our case, it is the Nostrano selection) budwood was imported from Italy and officially released in the late ‘90s. We have one of the only plantings in California. An ancient grape, Refosco was first mentioned in print in 1409 at a banquet for Pope Gregory XII. It is distantly related to Syrah and Pinot Noir.
Refosco thrives in the moderate marine-influenced climate of our home in the foggy and breezy mouth of the Napa Valley.
The wine is 100 percent Refosco. The grapes were destemmed, crushed, and then fermented in a small stainless-steel tank. We did a mixture of manual punch-downs and pump-overs, then pressed it after two weeks on the skins and aged the wine in neutral large-format puncheons for 11 months. Finally, we bottle it unfined and unfiltered.
A balance between fruitiness and earthiness defines our Refosco, and it is full of soft tannins. It is a happy wine and one of our favorites to drink at home.
