Winemaking
Our Philosophy
Le Casque was founded with one goal in mind – to produce small lots of wine from the absolute best vineyard sources in the Sierra Foothills and surrounding areas. We embrace the time honored French tradition of blending several different varietals together to create a wine that is greater than the sum of its parts. We also seek to create varietal wines that display special character in their own right. This has been our vision for Le Casque from the very beginning – great vineyards, exciting blends and varietal wines that show true character.
The Vineyards
Great winemaking begins in the vineyard. While we can make stylistic decisions in the winery (changing the blend, using more new oak, etc.) we can’t improve the quality of fruit that comes in the door after it’s been harvested. Hence, we source fruit from sites that we think are special. The climate, soil and vineyard layout must all match the varietal being grown – you don’t grow Syrah on a vineyard site more suited to Riesling. In addition, the vineyard must be impeccably managed to insure physiologically ripe fruit. Proper pruning, fruit thinning, and leaf pulling are all critical to growing the “perfect grape.” It’s a time consuming (and expensive) process, but if you cut corners during any part of it, you’ll pay a price at harvest time. We’re proud to work with some of the most conscientious, hard working growers in the business, and we believe their vineyards are indeed, “special.”
Blended Wines
In the southern Rhone valley of France (one of our favorite wine producing regions), it is not uncommon to find wines blended from several different varietals. Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre predominate in the reds, while Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne and others are all common in the whites. In all there are over 20 grape varieties used in this region. This provides winemakers with a wonderful pallet of flavors to choose from when fashioning their wines. While some of the grapes, like Syrah, are familiar to most American wine drinkers, others, like Mourvedre and Grenache, are less so. They are all world class in their own right; however, when blended together they can make some of the world’s truly great wines. We seek to make blended wines of this caliber, with all of the complexity of aromas and flavors that these wines demonstrate.
Single Varietal Wines
While we have a passion for blending, some varietals are delicious on their own (or when blended with small amounts of other grapes). Sometimes a given varietal wine has just the perfect flavor profile to go with your dinner’s main course. Maybe you just have to have a Syrah and nothing else will do. You just love the stuff, and there’s no sense trying to explain it. We produce single varietal wines to fit those occasions, if we feel we have certain lots that are delicious “in their own right.” These wines must also display true varietal character.