Birichino Rokurokubi & Inugami 2022

A blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Mourvèdre, Santa Cruz/Contra Costa's Rokurokubi & Inugami is a Rhône-style blend that pays homage to the Edo period of 18th and 19th century Japan. Its label design is inspired by a Bakemono Zukushi handscroll with each varietal represented - Cinsault as the floating head, Grenache and Mourvèdre as the anchoring wolf.

The Grenache (10%) was hand-picked from vines planted in 1910 in Besson Vineyard, while the Cinsault component (40%) hails from head pruned non-irrigated and organically farmed vines in Lodi established in 1886. The Mourvèdre (50%) comes from Little Big Block, a sandy site with old bush vines at the edge of San Joaquin River in Contra Costa.

Each grape was vinified separately - lightly crushed and fermented steel vessels for Cinsault; destemmed but not crushed before fermenting with 15% stems for Mourvèdre; destemmed and crushed with 30% stems for Grenache. Élevage was held for 8 months in old puncheons prior to blending and bottling unfined/unfiltered.