Mendo Blendo 2020, Tollini Vineyard
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The blended noble beast. A high class ass. Call it what you like and kick off your heels, this brawny yet silky blend is not shy on personality. 100% sourced from the sustainably farmed Tollini Vineyard in Mendocino each year, the core of the wine is built from the more robust varieties. We bring a little zip and balance with fruitier and spicy blended flavors. Enjoy now or lay it down, this wine lets you have your cake and eat it too.
- Blend:
- 58% Petite Sirah
- 21% Syrah
- 14% Grenache
- 7% Carignane
Wine Specs
Vintage
2020
Varietal
Red Blend
Appellation
Redwood Valley
Vineyard Designation
Tollini Vineyard
Acid
6.7 g/L
pH
3.44
Aging
24 months in 16% new American oak barrels, 8% 2-year-old Hungarian oak barrels, 76% neutral old barrels
Bottling Date
11/30/2022
Alcohol %
14.8
Wine Profile
Tasting Notes
This Mendo Blendo vintage packs a punch, or maybe
it’s more of a muley kick. Deep intense aromatics of
black plum and ripe blackberry mingle with traces of
fine herbs, black pepper and forest floor. From the first
sip, the concentrated dark flavors deliver a wow factor.
The structure envelopes the chewy flavors of black
raspberry and wild plum. Spicy pepper and cedar appear
mid-palate and linger as the wine satiates the senses.
Vineyard Notes
Our Mendo Blendo reflects the two realities inherent in
all interesting wines: place and people. The place being
Mendocino County and the people (besides Jamie and
myself) being Alvin and Sally Tollini, who grew the
grapes that produced this wine. Though we would never
trade living in and producing wines from Dry Creek
Valley, I’ve always enjoyed Mendocino County, its
people, and its wines.
Mendocino County winegrowing is an important
part of my history. I began my winegrowing career in
December 1973 as a vineyard worker for Frey Vineyards
in Mendocino’s Redwood Valley. We began producing
our Zero Manipulation wine from the Tollini’s Home
Ranch “Wild Vines” Carignane in 2000, and have
produced it every year since. Alvin Tollini is a thirdgeneration Redwood Valley grower and a wonderful
person, as well as an exceptional grape grower.
Winemaker Notes
When Alvin offered us some of his Petite Sirah grapes,
we were excited to produce a wine with the Tollini
Mendocino Petite Sirah at its core. With 58% Petite
Sirah along with 21% Syrah, 14% Grenache and
7% Carignane—all from Tollini Vineyard—we
couldn’t legally call the wine a Petite Sirah, but wanted
to come up with a fun name to reflect its origins.
The name Mendo Blendo is our wink and a nod to
Mendocino’s other agricultural crop of note.
Food Pairing Notes
Not for the faint of heart, this wine deserves an equally
hearty pairing. Try it with an all-meat pizza with extra
cheese, or chorizo bison chili with smoky paprika added
to spice it up.