The mini-donkey returns! Barbera has always been evocative of donkeys for me -- in Piemonte, Nebbiolo is the show pony everyone fawns over, but Barbera is the loyal, hard-working donkey that tills the fields and hauls the produce to market. Stubborn, yes, but with a big heart, and never flighty. Some years ago I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of a mini-donkey named Hercurmer who lives in Fiddletown, and after he was shot with a pair of arrows (not fatally, thank goodness) by some miscreant I decided to canonize him and make him the patron saint of our Forlorn Hope Barbera. Saint Hercurmer of the Arrows -- ever your loyal companion.

Matthew Rorick has been the winemaker behind the Forlorn Hope wines since the inception of the label in 2005, and tends 75 acres of organically farmed grapevines at Rorick Heritage Vineyard. In previous incarnations he has repaired submarine telescopes for the United States Navy, ridden skateboards for a living, and built electric guitars. His love of wine was fostered in him by his grandfather David Rorick Jr., who was a consummate dining partner and storyteller. His current efforts at RHV, including producing organically farmed estate wines and reconnecting with California’s pre-Prohibition viticultural traditions, are largely inspired by conversations at his grandfather’s table. Coming from a background of photography and design while living in London, Mara took a hard left and retrained with a winemaking degree. After a decade of learning to make wine in various corners of Europe, she settled in Northern California specializing sparkling wine production. Together with Matthew they run the daily winery activities throughout the year at Rorick Heritage Vineyard. Mara also overseas the intricacies of our bubbles program (bonus!). When she's not hand disgorging endless bottles of wine, she's tending to the ranch chickens and ducks, stacking wood, walking the vineyard with her Corgi, and growing our small vegetable garden. Forlorn Hope's estate wines are grown on Rorick Heritage Vineyard. Located in Calaveras County, just outside of the town of Murphys in the Sierra Foothills, the site was first ranched by the Shaw family in 1844. The property was purchased by Barden Stevenot in the 1960s; he became the godfather of the modern Calaveras County winegrowers when he planted own-rooted Wente Chardonnay from 1974-76. We are grateful that several acres of these original heritage plantings still remain - they are a direct link to the first person who recognized the potential of this site's soil and climate for winegrape cultivation. Barden eventually expanded the vineyard to its current 75 acres in 2000; Matthew Rorick purchased the property in 2013 and converted the farming to organic practices. At an elevation of 2000′, it is situated on limestone soils beneath a top layer of schist. The alpine growing season combined with limestone soils leave an indelible mark on the wines grown at RHV: beautiful aromatics, textural presence, and bright natural acidity are all hallmarks of the site. The Forlorn Hope estate wines are honest and pure representations of site and variety. We believe deeply in the magic of organic viticulture and the beauty of Calaveras Limestone. Producing wines that embody the uniqueness of our estate requires that we don't alter what the vineyard bears, and to this end, we do not adjust the chemistry of the grapes with additives, commercial yeast, or bacteria. All of our wines are spontaneously fermented by native yeast that exist naturally on the grapes. In this way, whether the wine in question is complex and nuanced or bright, cheerful, and easy-drinking, it will be a true and unadulterated expression of the Rorick Heritage Vineyard.

Varietal: Barbera