Callisto ‘21
$33.00
Callisto hails from the Parducci "Lost Vineyard" in thw Round Valley of Covelo, CA. Sitting at 1,400 ft. elevation, Round Valley is the only Mendocino Valley AVA with a Continental Climate rather than a Maritime Climate. The valley often sees 45+ degree diurnal shifts in the summer, with highs nearing triple digits and lows in the mid 50s. To get there, you wind through steep, narrow roads that curve alongside the Eel River, a 196 mile long river that ends (or begins depending on perspective) in the Pacific Ocean just south of Eureka. The Eel River is the third largest watershed in California.
In 1989 the "godfather" of Mendocino wine, John Parducci planted an experimental test vineyard. The test was to determine the viability of Round Valley as a new viticultural site, 8 rows of Pinot Noir (Martini Clone 13) and 2 rows of Chardonnay (Martini Clone 4) were planted in the Talmadge very gravelly loam soils of the valley floor.
Parducci made wine with the test vineyard fruit in 1993. Picking October 22 at 22.6 Brix, there's no record of any other wine being made from the vineyard since and it is unclear why the experiment was never expanded upon. 28 years later, in what feels like a clear testament to the drastic climate change being experienced in northern California, we picked the Pinot and Chardonnay nearly 2 months earlier on August 27th at 23 Brix.
As we left Round Valley, hauling the fruit on the 12’ trailer attached to our truck, we climbed the steep mountain we just descended from the day before, and once again traced the sinuous path of the Eel River, we came across a steep bend that dropped into the river, we spotted a bulky, thick-coated, four-legged animal sprinting across the road and up a hillside. We locked eyes, briefly, with its orange glow piercing our souls. As quickly as it appeared, it disappeared and became our inspiration for naming this wine Callisto—the Greek goddess transformed into a bear.
The Pinot and Chardonnay were processed together with 20% whole cluster, the rest gently crushed and de-stemmed on top and left to ferment for one week on the skins and then pressed to neutral oak. Aged 9 months in barrel bottled June 2022.
No additions or subtractions. Unfined, unfiltered, zero SO2.
Alcohol By Volume: 13.2%
Style: Red Wine
Variety: 80% Pinot Noir + 20% Chardonnay
Vineyard: Claus Vineyard -1800 ft. elevation
AVA: Round Valley
Farming: Organic
Harvest Date: 8-27-21
Bottling Date: 6-23-22
Cases Produced: 65
Fiber Art: Laura Basanta
Tasting Notes: Dry cherries with earthy undertones. Lifted acidity. Light-medium bodied.