From Vine To Wine: Kickapoo Blush

Harvest Notes With an early spring and even hot days lasting all summer, the grape harvest in the Central Region of Illinois was ideal.  Early fall cooling may have contributed to a drawn out harvest taking over 3 months instead of the normal 2.  Frontenac Gris came in at a whopping 24 brix yet still maintained its characteristically high acid levels. 

Winemaking Notes Frontenac Gris grapes were  fermented after de-steming and light crushing on the skins for 24 hours in a small vat.  At 24 hours the juice was pressed from the skins at a vibrant pink color and allowed to finish fermentation naturally in steel tanks.

Seyval Blanc juice was fermented at cool temperatures in steel tanks for 7 days with an aromatic Riesling yeast that yielded wonderful peach and banana aromas during fermentation.  

During blending and tasting trials of the Frontenac Gris it was decided to add a little white wine before cold stabilization to add complexity and smoothness to the vibrant Frontenac Girs wine.   Residual sugar levels were brought to 3.5% before bottling to balance Frontenac Gris’ naturally high acidity.

Tasting Notes  Characteristic of Frontenac Gris, this wine exhibits apricot aromas which are enhanced by the peach notes of Seyval Blanc with a slight strawberry taste on the finish.  Because of the high acid of this wine, 3.5% residual sugar classifies this as Off-Dry, or Semi-Sweet in the taste category.

Appellation

Illinois River Valley
 Harvest Date

August 23 -  September 7, 2011
 Varietals

75% Frontenac Gris 25 % Seyval Blanc
 Fermentation

100% Steel 24hr Skin Contact
 Ageing

2 months sur lie in steel
 Release

Date January 2011