UNTI VINEYARDS
Rosé + Whites Retrospective
2002 Dry Provencal Rosé from Grenache and Mourvedre
2007 Vermentino, Grenache Blanc, Picpoul Blend
2010 Vermentino, Grenache Blanc (100%)
2012 Fiano
2017 Picpoul
2021 Falanghina
If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a thousand times: “We love UNTI because you make wines that few, if any, wineries make.” Thanks, I think?
We have never been afraid to try something outside the Dry Creek Valley wine box. Trusting your intuition is risky, since you never really know if the market will confirm your decision. 23 years ago, we made our first Provencal-style Rosé, and it was a hit. We then pioneered growing and making the Mediterranean whites Vermentino, Grenache Blanc, Picpoul, Fiano and Falanghina. Another home run. Today, Rosé and our white wines comprise 40% of our winery’s production, and that number would be higher if we had more planted. Wild!
If wineries had MLB-like trading cards, our “Rookie Card” depicting our first vintages of Rosé and White Wines would have exponentially increased in value as we have improved our quality through vineyard management and a deeper understanding for making classic version of these wines. Maybe our rookie Rosé and White Wine card might not be as valuable as Hall of Fame players Rickey Henderson and Ken Griffey Jr. But you never know.
We are thrilled to release our 2025 Rosé and white wines as the moderate summer growing developed great concentration of fruit and acidity. A perfect example of us doing what Sammy Sosa so eloquently said, “Keep it, continue.”
2025 Rosé
UNTI’s first Rosé was a 2002 Dry Provençal Rosé from Grenache and Mourvedre. From the beginning, we have always been inspired by Bandol Rosé. Call me old-fashioned but Grenache and Mourvedre make THE world’s best Rose – simple as that. Now, Unti Rosé is considered by many to be the leading producer of California dry rosé.
In 2025 a set of circumstances enabled us to return to out prototypical blend, 65% Grenache and 35% Mourvedre. We added a new block of Mourvedre from our Benchland property. Additionally, we decided used a portion of our Creekside Mourvedre, which we normally make into red wine. In 2025, that block was taking longer to ripen due to the cooler summer weather and facing the prospect of an early October rain system, we harvested these grapes for Rosé. It was an excellent audible change of play at the harvest line of scrimmage by winemaker Jason Valenti.
The vintage and increased amount of Mourvedre resulted is a more full-bodied wine that still has the bright fruit and acidity you’ve come to know and love about Unti Rosé. It sports classic watermelon, cherry and spice flavors with firm texture. It is a quintessential example of why Bandol, and other rosés made from Grenache and Mourvedre rule.
900 cases produced
Vermentino
100% Vermentino 2007 Vermentino, Grenache Blanc, Picpoul Blend
Our Vermentino improves with each vintage and, not surprisingly, I’ve become the biggest cheerleader for this grape in Northern California. In 2025, thanks to our clonal diversity, quality-oriented farming and a cool growing season, we made our most compelling Vermentino to date.
There are only about 200 – 300 acres of Vermentino planted here in California, and only a small amount here in Sonoma County. I’m guessing few, if any, growers have multiple Vermentino clones. We planted 2 more acres of a Ligurian clone Vermentino in 2018 in addition to the 4 acres of the clone from Provence we first planted in 2004. To our pleasant surprise the Ligurian clone has smaller clusters that produce texture and complexity. It complements our more fruit driven clone perfectly.
MICK UNTI ON THE “WINEMAKER’S PODCAST”
While Vermentino will perform well in every California growing region, it excels in the AVAs that have cooler nighttime temperatures than wherever Vermentino is grown in Europe. This is particularly evident In Dry Creek Valley, where our warm to hot days and cool nights make Vermentino with intense fruit AND Loire Valley-like acidity, without having to add tartaric acid at the fermenter. This “too good to be true” climate condition, along with our approach to moderating yields mean we have the potential to make the world’s best Vermentino. Kind of like Zinfandel in Dry Creek compared to Primitivo in Puglia.
To highlight this fantastic fruit, we choose to ferment and age Vermentino in stainless steel or concrete tanks. No need for oak, as it would only detract from Vermentino’s compelling fruit and minerality. A moderately cool summer in 2025 allowed for the most expressive Vermentino we have ever made – one that is already showing well now but has the acid structure to age well over the next 2-3 years. Move over Liguria!
1,035 cases produced
2025 Cuvée Blanc
60% Vermentino, 20% Grenache Blanc and 20% Picpoul.
Cuvee Blanc was our first white wine made from a tiny experimental block planted to Vermentino, Grenache Blanc, and Picpoul. We realized how well-suited these Mediterranean whites are to our climate, and now have 7 acres under vine, including a Ligurian clone of Vermentino. CB is always our most complex white, as the three varieties perfectly complement each other. Vermentino leads with expressive floral aromas and fruit, Grenache Blanc builds body, spice and structure, and Picpoul adds a bright citrus character.
All three whites benefitted from the long growing season in 2025, resulting in a wine that has it all: expressive aromas, concentrated fruit, and spice in a textured wine balanced with firm acidity. We adjusted our typical blend due to the strength of our Vermentino, and we felt that 20% Grenache Blanc still provided what we want from this grape – body and structure. This wine always sells out quickly for a reason. I will be enjoying this wine for many years.
215 cases produced
2025 Fiano
Fiano has developed a cult following among Unti customers. Likely this is due to Fiano’s unique character – honey, almond fruit with great texture (that comes from the skins, not fermenting in oak barrels) and crisp acidity. This is even more amplified in 2025.
If you compare our Fiano to those from Italy’s Campania, and I highly recommend you do, the Unti will almost always be on the higher acid side of the Fiano spectrum. This is due to our nighttime temperatures, which are much cooler than Fiano’s native climate in southern Italy. Greg Graziano, who has been making Italian varietal wine longer than almost anyone in California, recently said upon returning from a trip to Campania how much warmer the summer nights are there. Yet out warm summer days are plenty sufficient to fully ripen Fiano giving us the best of both worlds.
Our 2025 Fiano comes from two small blocks planted in 2011 and 2018. They both render classic Fiano thick-skinned, golden grapes that make perhaps one of THE most distinctive white wines in the world. True to the vintage, our ’25 Fiano it slightly higher in acidity to go along with the honey, beeswax and even slight hint of pineapple aromas and flavors. It is a dry medium to full bodied white that can stand up to a wide range of food.
Our production is limited because we only have 2 acres, which explains why we sell out before the end of the year.
325 cases produced
2025 Grenache Blanc 100% Grenache Blanc
Grenache Blanc is a genetic mutation of Grenache Noir. As such, it has some of the phenolics (color, body and tannin) of a red wine. In the Southern Rhone, in Spain’s Priorat or Terra Alta, and in most California regions Grenache Blanc has moderate to low acidity. This is not the case with our Grenache Blanc, as it is our highest acid white wine. This is likely due to our summer nighttime temperatures, which are 15 to 20 degrees lower than where it is grown in Europe. We also thin the crop to facilitate even ripening and more concentration.
The 2025 GB has darker color than our whites, but have no fear, this is not a result of skin contact, as we press the juice off the skins immediately. The cooler vintage really amplifies GB’s bright green apple spice character in full-bodied wine that has Chablis-like acidity. We are undoubtedly on the higher acid end of the GB spectrum, and proud of it!
245 cases produced
2025 Picpoul Blanc 100% Picpoul Blanc
This 100% Picpoul Blanc comes from two small vineyard blocks planted in 2004 and 2018. We planted Picpoul to complement Vermentino and Grenache Blanc in our Cuvée Blanc, but our young vine Picpoul has a bit more personality and depth than what you find in France’s Languedoc region, which has inspired us to bottle a small amount on its own. Picpoul is medium bodied with amazing citrus aromas and flavors, unlike any we have had from France. The long cool growing season in 2025 amplified the fruit and body of our Picpoul even more. I wish we had more of it!
50 cases produced
