Sotto Voce, which translates to Soft Voice, is our proprietary blend of red varietals – those we feel are Livermore ’s finest. Reminiscent of the Valley’s storied past, this full bodied wine commands a presence, yet has the elegance to speak softly.
- Harvest Facts
- Background
- Vineyard
- Winemaking
- Accolades
Over a century ago, the red wines of Livermore Valley were praised for their intense color and opulent fruit. The best of the wines also possessed a lush mouthfeel with firm, but gentle tannins. Most striking, however, was a sense of minerality, attributed at the time to the Valley’s gravelly soil.
With this, our third release of Sotto Voce, we have taken another step closer towards conveying these historic qualities of Livermore Valley. Each year, the blend for Sotto Voce changes- there are no formulas for this wine. Instead, Sotto Voce is about seeing the history of Livermore Valley through our eyes, adapting the blend according to the vintage, always striving to express the terroir behind the Valley’s historic reputation.
Our 2010 vintage of Sotto Voce is a proprietary blend, this year consisting of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Merlot, and a small amount of Petit Verdot. The Cabernet was primarily from the Galles Vineyard in the first rise of Altamont Foothills, the Merlot was from the Thatcher Bay Vineyard (across the road from Galles), and the Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot hailed from the Del Arroyo Vineyard, high above Greenville Road in the southern foothills of Livermore Valley.
All of our grapes are harvested by hand from the finest vineyards in Livermore Valley. The grapes are sorted twice, once in the vineyard and again at the winery. We gently stem the grapes, and preserve a large portion as whole berries. The Cabernet, Petite Sirah, and Merlot are fermented in stainless steel tanks with native California yeasts. The Petit Verdot is fermented in macro bins using hand punch downs three times each day. The wines were aged separately in a combination of French and American Oak barrels for 15 months, then blended and allowed to marry for an additional two months prior to bottling. This wine is unfiltered and unfined.
THIS IS A NEW RELEASE 2010 VINTAGE
This is what they said about the 2009 Vintage of Sotto Voce-
“This dark-black wine is very much full of intense cherry and structured tannins and leathery spice. Petite Sirah lovers will particularly swoon.” Virginie Boone, Wine Enthusiast Magazine
GOLD MEDAL-2011 INDY INTERNATIONAL WINE COMPETITION
Updating...