Aromas of sarsaparilla, dried sage and pastry crust fill out the bouquet. On the palate, the wine is rich and insistent with vibrant acidity and fine tannins. Notes of purple plum, briary blackberry linger all the way through to the wines persistent, supple finish.
This wine pairs well with tomato-based dishes. Try adding in sausage or pancetta to a marinara sauce, or enjoy with pizza topped with fresh mozzarella and spicy coppa.
Pagani Ranch lies along Highway 12 near the town of Kenwood in the Sonoma Valley AVA and was once part of the Wildwood Dairy Farm. When Felice Pagani purchased it in the late 1880s, only a few vines had been established. Today, the 30-acre site is comprised primarily of 100-year-old vines rooted in gravelly clay loam and planted on rolling, east-facing slopes.
The grapes were hand-picked, sorted and destemmed into small, open-top stainless-steel fermentors. Punch-down cap management was performed using a pneumatic assisted plunger. The wines fermented on skins for 9-15 days before being drained to barrel to complete malolactic fermentation. The component wines were blended after 8 months and returned to barrel to coalesce for the remaining 6 months. Barrel aged for 16 months in 5% new French oak, 95% neutral French and American oak.