The wine is drawn from some of Clarksburg’s oldest vines, planted in the 1960s and sourced from a long-term organic grower. Kelley oversees harvest by hand and makes the wine alongside his friend and partner Frank Ingriselli, who also manages the aging. The grapes are picked in two lots. Grapes from the sunny side of the vine are crushed (to release extract), with the fruit from the more shaded side being whole cluster pressed using a very long and firm cycle. The musts are then fermented wild and raised in old, low toast, Burgundy barrels that have seen eight vintages. Each year Kelley uses more and more solids, with the wines building texture and drive from their time on lees. From 2020, longer élevage again and more precision at harvesting (based on the experience of the previous years) come into play.
In 2019 yields were down by half, and you can feel the added concentration on the palate in the form of more volume and texture.
The wine remains tense and refreshing, only there’s added succulence, and the salinity on the finish seems to be amped up a notch. The aromas are riper too, with yellow flowers and dandelions alongside the more subtle Chenin hints of pine resin and lanolin. The palate is dry, intense, grippy, and full of pure, juicy fruit and delicious savouriness.
Both vintages should age well, and yet both look great at the table now. Think pork, roast chicken and wild fish, or something with an interplay of sweet and sour. The 2018 will perhaps play best against salty, and more delicate dishes, whilst the 2019 should be able to deal with something a tad richer.