Halfshell White 2018

Name: 2018 Halfshell White
Brand: Woodenhead Vintners
Price: 23 USD
Availability: InStock

a French Colombard from Russian River Valley • CA

by Woodenhead Vintners

$23 per bottle

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A wine created originally from Nik and Zina’s love of oysters. After drinking countless Muscadet, Gruner, Vouvray and Sancerre, we wanted to bring something local to our portfolio which would pair with the beloved bi-valve. Our oyster runs on Tomales Bay always included Drakes Bay Oysters, Marshall Store and Hog Island. Nick had been a customer of Drake’s Bay Oyster Co (now gone) for over 40 years. Along came the discovery of French Colombard, a high acid, moderately aromatic white which needs no acid addition and naturally makes itself. Mostly made in the sixties and seventies as a sweet wine, and also used extensively for blending to low acid varietals, some sparkling and brandy. Never respected much, but here we find it made in the dry, crisp style as a single varietal, (which by the way is very rare now on the North coast), and makes it suitable not only for oysters, but all seafood, crab especially, and cheeses. Over the years, we’ve made many experimental versions of this wine: no oak, all oak, etc. We’ve settled on about 20% neutral oak in the blend to give it a little complexity. This is not Central Valley French Colombard which is flabby and vapid. This one is local as local can be from the floor of the Russian River Valley at Cameron Ranch. I only know of one other vineyard in Sonoma County which produces this varietal. A rare gem that is worthy of recognition both for it’s rarity and uniqueness in viticulture on the North Coast.

Descriptors

pairs with oysters

Composition

100% French Colombard

Aging

20% neutral oak

Vineyard

Wes Cameron Ranch

Alc. %

14.2%

Detailed Info

Closure	Natural
Bottle Size	Standard

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Woodenhead Vintners

Nikolai Stez is the Woodenhead winemaker. He has been at fermentation since he was a boy making the traditional Russian drink "kvas" (a fermented bread or fruit drink) that his immigrant parents taught him to make. In college, he made wines for his biology and botany classes, and started making home wines in earnest since 1986. Nick worked for 17 years of crush fun for the famous "two guys in a garage cult winery" that put Russian River Valley Pinot on the map. Working for Burt Williams as an assistant winemaker confirmed his life's passion for wine. Born in San Francisco and living on the Russian River since age one, he considers the North Coast his back yard and knows it well, from Sonoma County north to Humboldt and Del Norte. The coast range is his playground.

Zina Bower is the other part of the equation here, an escapee from L.A. and Nick's business partner. She was bitten by the wine bug in 1982 and has been intoxicated with passion for wine ever since. She started in the tasting room at Hop Kiln Winery, went to Williams-Selyem, then on to Vigil Vineyards in Calistoga and left her position as office manager of Diamond Creek Vineyards in Napa Valley. It's Zina's cheery voice you will hear on the phone when you call.