La Marea Cachudo Pierce Ranch 2023
“Made from Portuguese varieties not recognized by the trade bureau, the backbone of the 2023 Cachudo La Marea Pierce Ranch is Arinto Cachudo, thus the name. The wine has tremendous verve and energy, a light-bodied crispness that conjures up the sea. The grainy texture suggests lanoline or fresh wool. Together it’s intriguing and compelling, a vibrantly herbaceous experience that’s completely foreign in California.” - 95 PTS, VIRGINIE BOONE, JEB DUNNUCK (04/2025)
PRODUCER NOTES:
TASTING: “Distinctly graphite minerality on the forefront of the bouquet leans in quickly to satsuma mandarin and jasmine flower. Vibrant acidity leads the attack on the palate and confirms the light citrus and floral notes, shifting from jasmine to orange blossom. Finishes crisp with a subtle herbaceous verbena note and buttered brioche.”
VINEYARD: (Pierce Ranch, San Antonio Valley) "Inspired by their Portuguese heritage, the Pierce family wanted to explore beyond the typical French cultivars on their small family vineyard in the high Lockwood Valley west of King City. Closer to Paso Robles than to the Monterey Bay and in the lee of the Santa Lucia Mountains, the area's high mid day temperatures, intense sunshine and arid climate suit grapes like Arinto, sometimes called Arinto Cachudo, which forms the backbone of our La Marea 'Cachudo' bottling. Directly translated ‘cachudo’ means 'having horns' but, depending on usage and region can mean chubby, rich, long-faced, lazy, or horny. 'El Cachudo' is the devil and while this wine is devilishly tasty we believe in this case it refers to the tight, almost chubby, bunches of grapes typical of the variety. Arinto vines withstand water and heat stress and produce high acid, citrus tinged and ageable white wines in warm climates. This is one of a couple of Arinto plantings we are aware of on the west coast but it is a potentially noble grape perfectly adapted to climate conditions found in all but the extreme coastal areas of California."
WINEMAKING: "Picked in mid September with moderate sugars and impressive acidity. Fermented in a mix of stainless drums and used oak barrels. Primary fermentation arrested at 1 g/L. Full secondary fermentation. Aged on lees 7 months, filtered and bottled with 3% Verdelho." (13.4% ABV; 3.3 pH; 7.2 g/L TA; 223 cases)