Stirm Wine Company Neptunite Rosé, Cienega Valley, 750ML

Stirm Wine Co. Neptunite Rosé is a distinctive California rosé wine from the Cienega Valley appellation in San Benito County, crafted by winemaker Ryan Stirm from a pioneering small producer based in Aromas, CA. The wine's name references neptunite, a rare gemstone found deep in the rugged mountains of San Benito County, often found alongside the equally rare benitoite mineral.

This rosé is a thoughtfully blended wine sourced from historic old-vine vineyards: Chenin Blanc (34%) from the Gimelli Vineyard planted in 1997, Riesling (58%) from a 1964 planting at the legendary Wirz Vineyard, and small contributions of Zinfandel and Cabernet Pfeffer from a 1902 planting also at Wirz. The grapes are hand-harvested and processed using whole-cluster maceration techniques. The winemaking is minimal-intervention: spontaneous fermentation, elevage in barrels on fine lees, no fining, and light filtration for clarity. The only additive used is sulfur (57 ppm total SO2 at bottling). Only 200 cases were produced.

This wine is bone dry (0.0 g/L residual sugar) with 12.5% alcohol, a titratable acidity of 6.1 g/L, and pH of 3.39, reflecting the Cienega Valley's unique terroir influenced by the San Andreas Fault zone's serpentine soils. Sold as a case of 12 bottles (750ML each).