A semi-carbonic red wine. Whole clusters Marquette were gently placed into a tank which had been purged of oxygen using CO2. The result is akin to a Beaujolais Nouveau but with a distinctly Vermont assemblage.
Protolith
Tasting Notes | fresh red currants and acai | ABV | 13.2%
Variety | 48% whole-cluster Marquette, 52% Marquette
65% of the Marquette grapes for this wine come from our organically-farmed McCabe's Brook vineyard. At harvest, we carefully selected the most pristine Marquette clusters, taking care not to break any berries and removing any damaged ones from the clusters.
After an 11-day semi-carbonic maceration, the partially broken-down fruit was foot tread and fermented for a week with daily punchdowns. Malolactic fermentation completed spontaneously. The wine was then pressed off into a stainless steel tank, and racked off of gross lees a week later.
The 2022 Vintage:
Aromas of cherry cola play with basil and cinnamon; everything is rich, yet fresh and bright. The wine is light-bodied, but with a silky smooth weight kept fresh by medium+ acidity.
On the palate, Protolith wakes you up with poppin-fresh red currants and acai, plus a nostalgic note of grape bubblegum. The finish is all freshly-cut green stems, with a lingering tingle.
Vineyards: McCabe’s Brook
Marquette is a Pinot Noir hybrid developed by the University of Minnesota is super cold hardy and disease resistant while producing outstanding quality red wines with complex notes of cherry, berry, pepper and spice.
Our McCabe’s Brook planting of Marquette was established in 2006. The vines are trained to a hi-wire cordon system on 10’x8’ spacing. A slightly western aspect and north-south row orientation allow for maximum sunlight and exposure to prevailing winds. Soils are deep, well drained, sandy loams formed on sandy deltas, beaches and terraces that are underlain by medium-textured lacustrine deposits. This vineyard is one of our sites for trials with organic and biodynamic philosophies, and we have introduced sheep into the vineyard to help manage floor vegetation and increase soil health.
Go back to top of page
Making Protolith
A Semi-Carbonic Red Wine
Always Honest
Transparency is our thing - seriously. Drop us a line here with any questions.
Gluten - Free
Cruelty Free
Responsibly Farmed
Vegan
Made with Handpicked Vermont Grapes
Crafted with minimal intervention using sustainable vineyard management practices
IAPETUS Wines
Our team farms over 15 acres of cold hardy grape vines on three vineyard sites in northern Vermont to make natural wine. Named after the ancient ocean that once covered the present day Champlain Valley, where the roots of our grapes now nestle, IAPETUS creates wine that is inexorably tied to the Vermont soil and landscape.
Using the deep historical context of the soil in which our grapes grow as a backbone, IAPETUS makes natural, minimal intervention wines. We trust our grapes to lead us to something wonderful.
We primarily grow cold-hardy hybrid grape varieties that are best suited to our climate and have natural disease resistance
No spraying of unnecessary chemicals
All grapes are hand harvested, and we minimize the use of machinery in the vineyard to reduce soil compaction
Minimal intervention in the growing process
Our vineyards are never irrigated or tilled
Native grasses and wildflowers are allowed to flourish under the vines, naturally improving soil health
We work with sheep in the vineyard several times per year - they mow the grass and provide natural fertilizer
We don’t use sulfur or chemicals to “correct” things in the wine making process, our wines are unfiltered and unfined.