RIC FORMAN & CHERYL EMMOLO
Five generations of Emmolo men and women have been working the valley's fertile farmland for nearly 100 years. Cheryl was born and raised on Rutherford's Galleron Road, where her father, Frank Emmolo, owned one of the largest rootstock and nursery businesses in California. She grew up pulling spray rigs, working in her mother's gardens and selling rootstock to local winemakers, a childhood that gave her an extraordinary intimacy with vineyards and vines.
Ric's Napa Valley tenure began over 55 years ago in the vineyards and cellars of Stony Hill Winery, although most people recognize him as the man who helped put Sterling Vineyards on the map. Following his time there and at Newton Vineyard, Forman tacked on several consulting projects with esteemed wineries like Villa Mt. Eden, Inglenook, Charles Shaw and Kendall Jackson, but it was when he started his own label, Forman Vineyard, in 1983 that Forman's talent for cultivating steep, hillside slopes evidenced itself in his focused, racy Cabernets and elegant, Burgundian-style Chardonnays.
OUR FAMILY OF WINES
ROSSI - WALLACE
ROSSI - WALLACE
"We like elegant, structured wines rather than those
big blockbuster wines
that are intriguing rather than overwhelming."
Ric Forman and his wife, Cheryl Emmolo are offering their new release of high quality, limited production, Mendocino County Barbera in honor of their mothers, Annie Rossi and Roz Wallace. Both long-time, esteemed veterans in the wine business (Ric Forman of Forman Vineyard and Cheryl Emmolo of Emmolo Wines), this is their collaboration together producing high-quality, reasonably priced wines. This 2019 Barbera comes from the Pauli Ranch in Mendocino County and is a classic Italian-style Barbera. It offers a full, spicy nose with great mouthfeel and red fruit. This is a fun wine to drink, with food or without, and a classic representation of this varietal.
ROSSI - WALLACE
2021
SANTA LUCIA HIGHLANDS
RIESLING
Blend: 100% Santa Lucia Highlands Riesling (Rheingau Clone)
Aged: Cool fermented with exotic yeast in stainless steel.
Aged sur lees in 70 gallon stainless steel drums
until bottling
Bottled: March 16, 2022 - 4 Barrels - 112 cases,
750ml produced
Date Picked: October 8, 2021
Brix at Picking: 20.9
Alcohol: (at bottling) 12.5%
Total Acid: 0.88 g/100ml
pH: 3.13
Glucolse/Fructose: 0.02 g/100ml / Dry
Malolactic: Negative
WINE DESCRIPTION
First of all...we LOVE a Dry Riesling!
Riesling is such a wonderful variety, with its' distinctive aromatic qualities, produced dry or semi-sweet. The source of this Riesling is ideal for the classic Riesling expression. This is a bone-dry example of Riesling with its' magnificent expression of floral notes, minerality and even
a touch of honeysuckle.
Please Enjoy!...This wine will develop for years on end.
ROSSI - WALLACE
2019
MENDOCINO COUNTY
BARBERA
Blend: 100% “Pauli Ranch”, Mendocino County
Aged: 2-year old Bordeaux Barrels
Bottled: June 22, 2020 - 4 Barrels - 112 cases, 750ml
Date Picked: September 17, 2019
Brix at Picking: 26.8
Alcohol: 14.97%
Total Acid: 0.57 g/100ml
pH: 3.78
Glucolse/Fructose: 0.03g/100ml/Dry
Malolactic: Positive
WINE DESCRIPTION
A very classic Barbera. This Northern Italian varietal is not well understood in the United States – but it should be! In Italy, as well as here, its’ alluring qualities are very intriguing; full, spicy nose, great mouth-feel and a fabulous rich flavor.
REVIEWS
92 PTS.
CHATEAU LA GRANDE ROCHE
CHATEAU LA GRANDE ROCHE
Chateau la Grande Roche is a brand within the Rossi-Wallace portfolio and is owned by husband and wife team, Ric Forman & Cheryl Emmolo. The name was derived in recognition of the presence of the gravel nature of the Forman Vineyard property which is surrounded by massive boulders (Grande Roche) in a true clos-like fashion. It is 100% estate grown and is generally predominantly made up of Cabernet Sauvignon but, depending on thevintage, can also have Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petite Verdot as minority components of the blend. The brand was created in 1984 to insure that the Forman Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon would consistently meet the exacting standards that the wine maintains. One could analogize the brand; Grande Roche is to Forman Vineyard as Pavillion Rouge is to Margeaux.
Certain lots of wine each year, because of the extremely
tight specifications of quality for the Forman Vineyard Cabernet, become necessary to isolate and thus go into
the Grande Roche blend. Rarely, because of the high-quality of the grapes produced on the estate, are the selected lots terribly far off from the quality of the Forman Vineyard lots.
CHATEAU LA GRANDE ROCHE
2020
NAPA VALLEY . ESTATE BOTTLED
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Bottled: June 17, 2022 / 352 Cases (750ml)
Components: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon,
20% Cabernet Franc,
100% Forman Vineyard Estate
Aged: 21 Months:
80% in Once Used Bordeaux Barrels
20% in New Bordeaux Barrels
Alcohol: 14.8%
Total Acidity: 0.57 g/100ml
pH: 3.66
Glucolse/Fructose: 0.04 g/100ml
Malolactic: Positive
WINE DESCRIPTION
We love our 2020 vintage of Grande Roche Cabernet. The vintage overall was outstanding for us and we feel so fortunate once again. This is a fully aeromatic
and extracted wine which will impress
right from the get-go. There is full-blown
fruit and mouth-feel that excites!
Harvested September 15 - 17, 2020
(10 days prior to Glass Fire)
REVIEWS
92 PTS.
CHATEAU LA GRANDE ROCHE
2019
NAPA VALLEY . ESTATE BOTTLED
CABERNET SAUVIGNON
Bottled: June 9, 2021 / 1,026 Cases (750ml)
Components: 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Cabernet Franc,
5% Petite Verdot, 3% Merlot
100% Forman Vineyard Estate
Aged: 21 Months:
80% in Once Used Bordeaux Barrels
20% in New Bordeaux Barrels
Alcohol: 14.8%
Total Acidity: 0.63 g/100ml
pH: 3.64
Glucolse/Fructose: 0.04 g/100ml
Malolactic: Positive
WINE DESCRIPTION
Stunning aromatics; flint, blueberry, blackberry and even pomegranate. All together - very vibrant and exciting! Flavors couldn't be better. They are so integrated and delicious. We love the extract which lends a powerful richness to the complexity of aromas and flavors.
Harvested September 9, - October 15, 2019
REVIEWS
93 PTS.
OUR INSPIRATION: OUR MOTHERS
ANNIE ROSSI
Annie Rossi has a fondness for growing things. Every summer and into autumn, her garden blooms with tomatoes, zucchini, rocket onions, basil, and melons. And because she delights in the beauty the bouquets offer right there in their natural place, there are always zinnias, whose colors seem to dance between the rows. Annie is happiest in her garden. It is her refuge and sanctuary.
A mother's influence is undeniable. When it came time to name their new label, it made sense that it should honor their spirited (and red-headed) mothers. After all, the couple inherited their deep love and respect for the land from these passionate women.
This nature-inspired joy formed a common bond between the Rossi-Wallace women. Although they never had the chance to meet, the land would have connected these proud, passionate - or Feisty, as Ric and Cheryl like to say - moms. It is a tribute to them both that their children share this organic connection.
ROZ WALLACE
Ric's mother grew up among the orange groves of Pomona. The daughter of a fairly well-known surgeon who settled his family in agriculture-centric California, she inspired her children to value good, growing things. While many knew her as a nursery school teacher, Ric remembers her not at the blackboard but on her knees in her garden. One of Roz Wallace's purest joys was found in working the soils and in providing rich, natural foods for her family.
CONTACT INFORMATION
CHERYL EMMOLO
CHERYL@ROSSI-WALLACE.COM
WINE AVAILABLE THROUGH DISTRIBUTION ONLY.
WE DO NOT SHIP DIRECTLY TO CONSUMERS.
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