My dear readers,
I'm pleased to be able to share with you some of my all-time favorite wines from winemaker Matthew Rorick. Below are his spring releases.
Enjoy!
Wine Ophelia
aka Raelinn Doty
Welcome to the Forlorn Hope 2011 Spring Release.
In a verdant explosion, the vineyards of northern California have launched themselves into the 2011 growing season. With all of the excitement that accompanies the shedding of winter's grey for the green of spring we offer up a trio of Rare Creatures for your enjoyment: the 2010 La Gitana, 2009 Ost-Intrigen, and 2009 D'Anconia. Read on...
Aromatic glories: 2010 Forlorn Hope La Gitana Torrontés
This, our third vintage of Torrontés, is quite possibly the best yet. Arrestingly aromatic and bearing a remarkable degree of elegance and refinement as a result of the cool 2010 growing season and an ultra-gentle press regimen in the winery, this Gitana's cante jondo is seductively sinuous and delicate but as laconically defiant as ever. And though it is brilliantly clear in the glass, just like its slightly cloudy predecessors it has seen no filtration or fining. Moving in a stylistic space all its own, it is redolent of the promise of spring.
87 cases produced. $20/bottle, $240/case.
Click here to order your 2010 Forlorn Hope La Gitana Torrontés
A passion for the exotic: 2009 Forlorn Hope Ost-Intrigen
What would you do if you came across the only 90 vines of St. Laurent planted in California? Why, you'd probably make vanishingly small quantities of wine out of it, wouldn't you! With its feet deep in decomposed volcanic rock and Carneros clay, the St. Laurent of the Ricci Vineyard continues to produce a tiny amount of supply textured and exotically scented wine: in 2008, we were only able to release 10 cases. Due to the unexpected bounty of the '09 growing season, we're pleased to be able to offer nearly double that -- but if you're keen to enjoy the Intrigues of the East, don't wait too long.
17 cases produced. $22/bottle, $264/case.
Click here to order your 2009 Forlorn Hope Ost-Intrigen St. Laurent
A deep, dark swan song: 2009 Forlorn Hope D'Anconia Malbec
From high atop Mt. Vaca comes this swarthy, complex and irreverent interpretation of Malbec. At once fierce and tender, it is proof positive that passion lives in the blood and bones of those bold enough to follow their dreams and plant vineyards in the most unfashionable yet viticulturally compelling locales. The rewards are great for those who dare, as this densely layered ultimate offering from 2900 feet above sea level will readily attest.
13 cases produced. $24/bottle, $288/case.
Click here to order your 2009 Forlorn Hope D'Anconia MalbecAnd a nice note from Matthew:
If Tallulah were here she'd point out that this will be the first release of Forlorn Hope Wines featuring our new packaging: specifically, sans capsule. The reasons for eschewing the foil top for our corks are many but may be summed up by saying that we're moving toward a more ecologically friendly package in general, and reducing the amount of waste that our bottles generate puts a smile on our faces here at FH-HQ. There are still vintages yet to be released which have foils on them so there will be some overlap of foiled and unfoiled bottles for a year or so yet, but this release is something of a novelty in being the first to feature all naked necks.
More information about the direction of our new package, the wines of the Spring Release, vineyard and cellar updates, and other FH news can always be found at the
Forlorn Hope blog: fhwines.wordpress.comWe're very pleased with the three Rare Creatures of the Spring Release and look forward to getting them into your hands right away!
All best,
Matthew
