From unknown origins, this exotic grape finds a home at The Vice Napa Valley Wines
Napa Valley, CA – October 6, 2021 – St. Laurent, dark-skinned highly aromatic grapes with origins shrouded in mystery, is the most widely planted grape in Czechia and third most popular grape in Austria. Although this obscure varietal is gaining the attention of producers in other regions, it is rarely planted in California, and in Napa Valley, St. Laurent barely manages a footnote in the grape plantings.
Meet The Vice Wine’s limited edition 2019 St. Laurent, “Majorelle”, a mysterious wine and unique expression of Napa Valley, born from the appellations’ “near perfect” 2019 harvest.
2019 St. Laurent, “Majorelle” – Napa Valley ($34.00/750ml)
“St Laurent, a rare and highly aromatic black grape varietal thought to be an offspring of Pinot Noir and Parent X. We think of it as a “Le Smoking” version of Pinot Noir, with opulent aromas on the nose and haute couture silk on the palate. Savory, intense and dances between delicate and savage.” – Malek Amrani, The Vice Founder/Winemaker
After a long, warm summer ended with a bit of rain and cool weather, the natural elements allowed Amrani to create a highly drinkable wine now and one that will age for a decade and only get better with time.
Picked in early September and fermenting by 7am that day, natural yeast fermentation continued for two weeks before the wine was transferred into neutral oak barrels to continue finessing the natural vibrant fruit flavors. After twenty months in the barrel, the natural aromas of violet, anise, baking spice and a mix of berries on the nose give way to blackberry and chocolate lead the palate, with hints of leather and cinnamon toward the velvety finish.
The wine is made from 100% St. Laurent grapes, 100% unfiltered and unfined, aged for 20 months in neutral French Oak barrels. The ABV is 13.8%. 50 cases were produced.
All wines by The Vice are low in sulfites, made with sustainable farming and winemaking practises and are certified vegan.
About The Vice Wine
The Vice is a Napa Valley luxury wine brand made in small batches. Each batch is crafted from single grape varietals sourced from hand selected vineyards that best express the grape varietal and the region that it comes from. The Vice is a result of passionate labor, sustainable farming, a long expertise of the wine industry and a current understanding of the consumer’s wine trend. The Vice is about as personal of a brand as it gets. Everything is done by the founders. We drive the truck to get our fruit, we crush, bottle, label; we do everything by hand when possible. We design the labels, work the market, and sell the wine. We believe that the best wines in the world aren’t the most expensive ones. We thrive at providing the best quality wine at the best value. For more information visit thevice.com and follow on @thevicewine