Sourced from three vineyards; Blind Faith, which is Certified Organic CCOF and has Silty Clay Loam soils, Beato with Sandy Calcareous, Clay and Loam, and Margett which is farmed Organically without certification on Sandy, Loam, Alluvial soils. A bladder press is used for the Falanghina and Vermentino, and basket pressed the Trebbiano, all of which are not destemmed. The wine is filtered and given minimal SO2.
On the nose you can get flint, sea air, lime zest, chalk, lemon pith and orange blossom. The palate has kiwi, banana smoothie, Lemonheads, green juice, fruit cocktail and kumquat with a saline finish.
"This week’s wine of the week, Giornata’s Il Campo Bianco 2023, is a blend of 40% Vermentino, 40% Falanghina and 20% Trebbiano. While the estate provides the Trebbiano, the rest of the grapes are purchased. The Vermentino is sourced from three vineyards – one in El Pomar District, one in San Miguel District and one in the Estrella District. The Falanghina comes from Castoro Cellar’s organic-certified vineyards within the San Miguel District. Stephanie calls their picks relatively early for Paso Robles, focusing on retaining acidity in order to keep the wine fresh and lively.
Once harvested, the Falanghina and Vermentino are bladder-pressed and the Trebbiano is basket-pressed. The pressed wines undergo fermentation separately in stainless-steel tanks with fermentation temperatures peaking around 70 °F (21 °C). The wines are then transferred to 75-gallon (284-litre) stainless-steel drums until being blended in January and bottled in February, with an alcohol level of 13.5%.
The 2023 vintage in California is what winemakers call a goldilocks vintage – not too hot, not too cold, average to slightly above average yields, with superb fruit quality. Sandwiched between the 2022 vintage – characterised by drought and heat spikes – and the 2024 vintage – also characterised by heat spikes with some producers reporting lower yields – 2023 is one to stock the cellar with." Samantha Cole-Johnson Jancis Robinson Purple Pages
