The 2022 vintage at Wirz Ranch was defined by extreme drought conditions, with only 4" of rainfall recorded for the entire year. We sourced 2 bins of botrytized Riesling, harvested September 22, 2022. Following press, the juice was cold settled overnight, racked clean to tank, and fermented with native yeasts at relatively warm temperatures (low 70s°F).

At 2° Brix, the wine was transferred to barrel: one older François Frères barrel, one 20-year-old Mayacamas Chardonnay barrel, and several kegs. The use of neutral cooperage was intentional—Wirz's inherent tannic structure, intensified by the drought vintage, required a winemaking approach similar to that of Chardonnay. This treatment is consistent with the site's granite over limestone geology. Fermentation arrested naturally at the desired residual sugar level, yielding a wine with 3.00 pH, 7.5 g/L TA, and 5.2 g/L RS. Extended lees aging of 34 months developed textural complexity and integrated the wine's natural tannin.

58 cases produced.