About The Massican Wines
We Hope This Page Will Give You A Little More Background on the Wines
The Massican white wines are made from 10 grape varieties planted in 13 vineyards on California’s North Coast (north of San Francisco). All our vineyards are farmed at a minimum with sustainable standards and at a maximum with certified organic practices. The winemaking is respectful of the vineyards and the grapes, and therefore, there is little intervention during the fermentation process to convert the sugars in the grapes to the alcohol in the wines. The wines are fresh, bright, light, less than 120 calories per 5oz glass, no residual or added sugar, and less than 3 carbs. Let’s dig in a little. Or a lot. (And scroll for the wine pairings!)
Making WINE
Every grape from every vineyard is harvested and fermented separately. The grapes are harvested at daybreak and then whole-cluster pressed at the winery. We settle the fresh-pressed juice overnight, decant it in the morning to barrels or tanks, and then ferment it with native or cultured yeasts in French oak barrels (80 gallons), stainless steel barrels (75 gallons), or larger oak vessels and stainless steel tanks (multiple sizes).
We also play music really loud during this process. (Harvesting grapes and making wine is a 16-20-hour process daily during the late summer and early Fall; we need it like coffee 24/7.)
Ingredients
The ingredients in Massican wines are grapes, yeast (which converts sugar to alcohol), nitrogen (a nutrient that supports yeast development), and sulfur, which is added after fermentation for its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.
The Massican wines are sugar-free (we ferment all the natural sugars and add no sugar before, during, or after the wine is made). The wines are also gluten-free, and vegan.
For your information, we use new French oak barrels for our Hyde Vineyards Chardonnay, which imparts smoky aromas and flavors.
Inside the Bottle
After we blend the wines and before we bottle them, we sterile filter them. We do this for two reasons: first, to remove any dead or active yeast cells that may cause the wines to re-ferment in the bottle, and second, this filtration process provides us with crystal-clear wines.
None of the Massican wines receive any fining (clarifying) agents prior to bottling, and they do not undergo cold stabilization to remove tartrates (acid crystals that form when the wine is exposed to excessively cold temperatures; to visualize this, think of a snow globe).
Our wines are bottled in lightweight glass, 468 grams (or 1 lb), and are made from 50% recycled glass produced in California. (If you are familiar with previous bottles of Massican, this is a reduction of the weight of our bottles by 20% – a reduction of 20k lbs of glass and 11 tons of carbon in the creation of these bottles. We’re not done, tho, we will continue to make our packaging as environmentally friendly as we can in the years to come.)
Annia
Tocai FriuLano 43%, Ribolla Gialla 34%, Chardonnay 23% (44,604 Bottles)
Massican’s flagship “Cal-Ital” (Mediterranean white wine) blend contains 22% and 24% of all the Tocai and Ribolla planted in the state of California. This is our Northern Italian white wine-inspired blend.
Annia is designated California appellation because the grapes are farmed in Napa (34%) and Sonoma (66%) vineyards.
Tocai is harvested from the following vineyards: Nichelini (Chiles Valley), Alta Vista (Carneros), Bowland (Russian River), and Hudson (Carneros).
The Ribolla is harvested from Vare/Bengier (Oak Knoll) and Bowland (Russian River).
The Chardonnay is from the Alta Vista Vineyard (Carneros).
50% of the vineyards are organically farmed, and no glyphosate is used to control weeds at any of the vineyards.
Annia was fermented in 55% neutral French oak. The remainder is in stainless steel barrels and tanks.
The chemistry is as follows: 12.3% Alcohol, almost zero sugar (0.3 g/L), and moderate acid (3.7 pH, 7.4 g/L total acid, which includes 1.5 g/L malic acid). The wine contains very little sulfur, the equivalent of 0.003% of the composition of the wine itself.
Nutritional information: We will update this space with the total calories and carbohydrates per 5 oz glass of wine. The wines are being analyzed in the lab right now. But we can tell you that, based on previous wines analyzed, each glass will have about 115 calories.
Critical reviews, if that is your jam: Wine Spectator (91 pts). Wine Enthusiast (90 pts.). Winemaker (Priceless.)
Where to drink: Coming soon!
Food & Wine Pairing: Please check out below and our post about this, link here.
GEMINA
Greco 60%, Falanghina 23%, Fiano 17% (18,396 Bottles)
One of the most unique blends in white wine, Gemina, tastes like licking coral from the Mediterranean Sea around the Amalfi Coast. This is our Southern Italian white wine-inspired blend.
Gemina is designated California appellation because the grapes are farmed outside of Napa and Sonoma (68%) and the remainder in Sonoma (32%) County.
The Greco is harvested from the following vineyards: Ferrendelli (Dunnigan Hills) and Bowland (Russian River).
The Falanghina is harvested from Lost Slough (Lodi).
The Fiano is from the Bowland (Russian River).
100% of the vineyards are organically farmed, and no glyphosate is used to control weeds at any of the vineyards.
Gemina was fermented in 40% neutral French oak. The remainder is in stainless steel barrels and tanks.
The chemistry is as follows: 12.0% Alcohol, almost zero sugar (0.2 g/L), and very high acid (3.2 pH, 10.2 g/L total acid, which includes 2.7 g/L malic acid). The wine contains very little sulfur, the equivalent of 0.003% of the composition of the wine itself.
Nutritional information: We will update this space with the total calories and carbohydrates per 5 oz glass of wine. The wines are being analyzed in the lab right now. But we can tell you that, based on previous wines analyzed, each glass will have about 115 calories.
Critical reviews: Wine Spectator (92 pts). Wine Enthusiast (90 pts.). Winemaker (um, Priceless.)
Where to drink: Coming soon!
Food & Wine Pairing: Please check out below and our post about this, link here.
PINOT Grigio
Pinot Grigio 88%, Cortese 12% (20,880 Bottles)
Massican’s first exploration of Pinot Grigio in a meaningful way. Look out Santa Margherita.
Our Pinot Grigio is designated California appellation because the grapes are farmed in Sonoma (88%) and the remainder in Lodi (12%).
The Pinot Grigio is harvested from the following vineyards: Thompson (Dry Creek) and Lost Slough (Lodi).
The Cortese is harvested from Lost Slough (Lodi).
12% of the vineyards are organically farmed, and no glyphosate is used to control weeds at any of the vineyards.
Our Pinot Grigio was fermented in large neutral French oak foudre (wood tanks). The Cortese was fermented in smaller wood barrels.
The chemistry is as follows: 12.1% Alcohol, almost zero sugar (0.1 g/L), and moderate acid (3.4 pH, 6.2 g/L total acid, which includes 1.6 g/L malic acid). The wine contains very little sulfur, the equivalent of 0.003% of the composition of the wine itself.
Nutritional information: We will update this space with the total calories and carbohydrates per 5 oz glass of wine. The wines are being analyzed in the lab right now. But we can tell you that, based on previous wines analyzed, each glass will have about 115 calories.
Critical reviews: This is our first vintage of Pinot Grigio, and we are submitting the wines to third-party reviews! We can’t wait! We love this wine so much, and we know that the world will, too! (Fingers crossed!)
Where to drink: Coming soon!
Food & Wine Pairing: Please check out below and our post about this, link here.
Sauvignon Blanc
100% Sauvignon Blanc (30,552 Bottles)
Juliana vineyard was originally planted for Mondavi’s Fume Blanc; it is now the backbone of California’s best SB. At least we think so!
Our Sauvignon Blanc is designated California appellation because the grapes are farmed in Napa (84%) and Sonoma (16%) County.
Our Sauvignon Blanc is harvested from the following vineyards: Juliana (Pope Valley), Alta Vista (Carneros), Fish (Calistoga), and John Anthony (Carneros).
No glyphosate is used to control weeds at any of the vineyards.
Our Sauvignon Blanc was fermented in 20% stainless steel barrels. The remainder is in stainless steel tanks (2k gallons).
The chemistry is as follows: 12.9% Alcohol, almost zero sugar (0.2 g/L), and very high acid (3.4 pH, 8.8 g/L total acid, which includes 2.1 g/L malic acid). The wine contains very little sulfur, the equivalent of 0.003% of the composition of the wine itself.
Nutritional information: We will update this space with the total calories and carbohydrates per 5 oz glass of wine. The wines are being analyzed in the lab right now. But we can tell you that, based on previous wines analyzed, each glass will have about 115 calories.
Critical reviews: Wine Spectator (93 pts). Wine Enthusiast (91 pts. – this is the greatest 91-point review of wine ever; please indulge us: “This is a really well-balanced, engaging, and fun Sauvignon Blanc that, alongside its light and lively attitude, shows elements of depth and complexity not often found in this white varietal. Nuanced notes of lemon, lime, green apple skins, beachy-sand salinity, jasmine flower, nasturtium leaf, cut grass and dewy lawn daisy are carried by an energetic acidity yet simultaneously tamed by a smooth, almost glycerol-like texture. The finish is long and begs for another sip to be had.”)
Where to drink: Coming soon!
Food & Wine Pairing: Please check out below and our post about this, link here.
Chardonnay
100% Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay (6,564 Bottles)
Our single vineyard designation from Larry Hyde’s iconic Carneros vineyard. This could be the most unique and inexpensive Hyde Chardonnay on the market.
Our Hyde Chardonnay is a 100% Napa appellation wine because Hyde vineyards resides on the Napa-side of Carneros.
Our Chardonnay is planted at Hyde Vineyards. The oldest vines were planted in 1992.
100% of the vines are organically farmed, and no glyphosate is used to control weeds at the vineyard.
Our Chardonnay was fermented in 100% new French oak barrels.
The chemistry is as follows: 12.8% Alcohol, almost zero sugar (0.5 g/L), and high acid (3.4 pH, 7.4 g/L total acid, which includes 2.6 g/L malic acid). The wine contains very little sulfur, the equivalent of 0.003% of the composition of the wine itself.
Nutritional information: We will update this space with the total calories and carbohydrates per 5 oz glass of wine. The wines are being analyzed in the lab right now. But we can tell you that, based on previous wines analyzed, each glass will have about 115 calories.
Critical reviews: Wine Spectator (93 pts). Wine Enthusiast (95 pts.). Winemaker (Iconic, 100% Chardonnay + 100% New French Oak = 100 points. Just sayin’.)
Where to drink: Coming soon!
Food & Wine Pairing: Please check out below and our post about this, link here.
If You Got This Far, Let’s Eat
We have been writing an Italian cookbook! Our cookbook, written by James Beard award-winning writer, Jordan Mackay, and Top Chef contestant, Sara Hauman, is an exploration of regional Italian cuisine curated in a dinner party format. We currently have 16 chapters online and are updating the “Italian Pantry” at our newsletter over on the Substack platform. But we will be migrating all those recipes over to the website soon!
In the interim. Here’s a short list of perfect pairings: Annia with Friuli’s quintessential dish, Frico – a potato pancake with cheese!! Gemina will surprise you – the southern Italian-inspired wine with fresh citrus and salty flavors pairs perfectly with southern Italy’s premier pasta dish – eggplant parm!
If you love Pinot Grigio, you love thinking about your Mediterranean vacation. And if that vacation was anywhere near water (which from any point in Italy is only about a one-hour drive) you probably have had spaghetti and clams. Or maybe you had a “linguine alle vongole” in your favorite Italian restaurant back home, Either here or there, Pinot Grigio is your best bet.
Let’s lean into our “French” grapes – which have a very Italian profile in a Massican bottle of wine. Our Sauvignon Blanc is the perfect pairing for Condiglione (an Italian nicoise with a tuna vinaigrette). Deliciousness found here.
Last but not least, the Queen of white wine grapes, Chardonnay! We love Chardonnay in all her forms – from Champagne to California white wine – but we also love to pair Chardonnay with the working class Sardines. As true Italian-Americans, we made it a point in crafting the Massican cookbook to include some sort of sardine/anchovy dish in every dinner party menu, and one of our favorites is the Venetian Sarde in Saor – fried sardines with a vinegarette – pure perfection with Chardonnay.
Cheers everyone, so many more recipes to come! And if you have any questions about the wines, ping our winemaker – Dan Petroski – he is available for all your questions! We really don’t understand if he sleeps, but we know he loves to hear from you.
XO