Over thousands of years, volcanic activity, massive floods, and runoff from the Mayacamas’ mountain range have created the nutrient-rich alluvial, and loamy soils of Lake County – which are perfect for growing grapevines. In the summer months, the mountain climate (1350 ft. – 3000 ft.) sees hot daytime temperatures, yet the vines recover and respire at night due to cool coastal breezes pulled in from the Pacific Ocean by the vast size of Clear Lake (the largest natural lake in California). This distinctive combination of factors (mountain elevation, rich volcanic soils, and hot days and cool nights) all work in concert to create a unique terroir that allows us to achieve the ideal balance of ripeness and fruit intensity, while highlighting complex fruit flavors with refreshing acidity.
This is our inaugural year with the Corbeau Rusé, and our goal was to make a Rhone-style wine with an uplifting note of Lake County red-fruit liveliness. This wine consists of 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 7% Viognier and 3% Zinfandel. We picked slightly early to retain our signature freshness on the palate and then co-fermented the fruit together to cultivate complexity. After fermentation, the wine is stirred every 2-4 weeks, to develop texture and preserve the vivaciousness of the fruit. The grapes were hand harvested and picking occurred at night to retain freshness. We employed a moderately cool fermentation to boost the fruit and floral notes, and a small addition of Mendocino Zinfandel was utilized to enhance the uplifting elements of the wine.
Corbeau Rusé translates as ‘Mischievous Crow,’ paying homage to the origination of our winery’s name: “Dancing Crow Vineyards.” It twas the dance-like frolicking of a murder of crows, while mischievously thieving dozens of straw vine markers during the initial planting of our vineyard, that gave our wines their name. This Rhone-style red blend delights with aromas of red fruit tart, plum and sweet Gardenias, generously followed by luscious flavors of blueberry, black cherry, and ripe fig, on a silky palate of harmonious fluidity and balance, finishing with an intriguing combination of thyme and gamey allspice.
The Lake County 2021 harvest exhibited high quality and concentrated intensity of flavors in the red varieties. Early season growing conditions within the high-elevation vineyards, prompted bud break a week earlier than average. While fruit set was slightly decreased, the loose clusters facilitated airflow and steady ripening, with the grapes demonstrating wonderfully complex and concentrated flavor profiles. Generally, in Lake County we see a short break between the harvest of white and red varieties, however, this year reds followed immediately after whites due to the late summer heat.
