In Italy, it is believed that Greco has its origins in ancient Greece. However, it is identified as one of the great white grapes of Tufo, Campania in Southern Italy. Complex, lean, and graceful, Greco wines are traditionally known to cellar extremely well up to 10 years. The alluvial soils and moderate climate of the Oak Knoll District are ideal conditions for a wide variety of vinifera grapes. Greco is a new entry in the district that shows wonderful promise for future winemaking. This wine is a tribute to Clementina Biale (1929-2017), wife of Aldo Biale and matriarch of the Biale Family.

Vintage Notes: The rainy season started off hopefully with several storms bringing much needed precipitation at the end of 2021. Dry conditions, however, returned in January with minimal rainfall through budbreak in mid- March. Cooler, breezy days during flowering in May caused minor shatter in some early flowering blocks, naturally limiting yield. In June a well-timed 1⁄2 inch of rain provided the vines with a much-needed drink. Idyllic growing and ripening conditions persisted through the summer. Moderate heat in the middle of August jump started an early harvest. Picking accelerated ahead of a five-day heat spike that began the first week of September, nearly driving harvest to completion. Harvest at Biale concluded exactly a month after it began, just before an early autumn rain. Concentrated and dense with delicate acidity, the 2022 vintage delivered stunning quality across the board.

Harvest Date: September 18th

Winemaking: Our winemaking begins in the vineyard with meticulous attention to detail and close monitoring by Bob Biale and winemaker David Natali. At harvest, the fruit is hand-picked then placed directly into our press as whole clusters. Pressed and cold-settled, the juice is then moved into several separate and unique fermentation vessels: a stainless-steel tank, smaller stainless-steel drums, one Acacia barrel and a small Italian clay amphora. Each of these vessels lends a specific trait to the wine, building complexity in the final blend. The vessels are kept cool for a long, slow fermentation which helps to retain beautiful aromatics. At dryness, the wine remains on the lees for 5 months with periodic battonage to build texture and mouth feel. Partial malolactic fermentation was allowed to proceed for the 2022 vintage.

Alcohol: 14%

Winemaker’s Tasting Notes: A beautiful straw color with aromatics of white peach, pineapple, and jasmine in the glass. The palate shows notes of citrus zest, grapefruit, honey suckle, apricot, and wet slate. Medium bodied, the wine’s vibrant acidity drives it to a fresh and delicious finish.

Only 390 cases produced.

(Oak)