Skin-Fermented Ribolla Gialla

About the Wine

When I started Ruby Blanca, I had my heart settled on starting this project with the queen of grape varieties, Ribolla Gialla. I knew most of the people growing all 16 acres planted in California. Luckily for me, one of them pointed me in the direction of Dwight Busalacchi. He’s a second generation Italian grape grower in Clements Hills AVA, Lodi. He choose the Lodi region for the deep soils, abundance of pure water and the many micro-climates. The first year I made this wine I only skin-fermented half the lot and directly pressed the rest. It allowed me to see how much skins I could use without the wine getting too tanic. Every year since, I fermented the wine 100% on the skins for 3 weeks. I find it strikes the right balance of depth of flavor, mouth feel, and longevity. Every year I play with the amount of time I leave the wine on the lees. Without stirring, I left the wine on the lees for 4 months which lead to a brighter, lighter style.