We were so honored and excited to get this fruit in 2023— after years of pining for it, admiring Angela's versions of the wine, and longing to get inside the walls of Hofer!

One day last September, toward the end of harvest, when we thought that we were all done in Cucamonga, we got a call from Domenic Galleano. "Do you want some Hofer? You can pick up a ton tomorrow." We arrived just as the crew began picking, and very happily brought two half-ton bins home. We made a red fermentation from most of it, and foot treaded the rest to make Blanc de Noir. We put all of that into Disco Essence to give it lift and charm. 

The red is our lightest red in a vintage of light reds— it is nearly evanescent. It is lightly fruity, but not silly; barely tannic, but with structure; and has some of the leathery and animal qualities that one expects of Grenache, but in the most subtle way. It is very good now— light and fresh and charming!— but will become more complex and serious with time.