CORO MENDOCINO

Production Protocol Revised 4/17/07

 



‘Coro Mendocino’ shall be produced only with Mendocino County fruit and totally produced at a bonded Mendocino County winery. “Vinted” and/or “Cellared” by will be permitted to facilitate acquisition of beneficial blend components by all participants from Mendocino producers.  Each participating winery will produce their own blend within protocol parameters, meet submission timetables, submit to blind tasting panel for pass/fail, wines to be packaged in uniform bottle and packaging with individual branding subjugate to Coro Mendocino.

 

Varietal Makeup:

Zinfandel to compose a minimum of 40% and a maximum of 70% of each Coro blend.

Zinfandel shall compromise dominant percentage of each Coro blend.

2nd Tier Varietals: Percentage of any ONE not to exceed Zinfandel as majority component and max of 5% out of vintage. Syrah, Petite Sirah, Carignane, Sangiovese, Grenache, Dolcetto, Charbono, Barbera, Primitivo.

Free Play: Up to 10% of total blend from any single or combination of vinifera source.

 

Basic Chemistry Limits:

Alc 12.5-16% Glu + Fru, enzymatic <700 mg/100ml
pH 3.2-3.8 Volatile Acidity < 0.1g/100ml
TA 0.4-0.9g/100ml Malic, enzymatic* <35 mg/100ml

PLUS: Required plating for Brett along with the above Basic Chem panel by third party lab.

(excess malic could be overcome by sterile filtration requirement)

 

Cooperage and Aging Parameters:

Minimum one year in barrel.  Minimum 1 year in bottle, pre release.  Release to be bottled by June 31st in time for the Coro Release Event.  2 ˝ year cycle (example; 2001 Coro released in June 2004).

Cooperage to be minimum 25% new with maximum of 75%.  Oak alternatives may be used in conjunction with barrel requirements.

 

Annual Time Table:

October 31:                   Intent to participate forms for upcoming cycle to be bottled next June, i.e. for ’01 vintage-barrel tastings winter-spring ’02-03, bottle June ’03, release June ’04

Mid December:             First Preliminary group tasting

Mid January:                 Second Preliminary group tasting, also due are Coro Membership Application and yearly dues of $750

Mid March:                   Third Preliminary tasting for the June bottling (following year release). Review of “previous vintage” bottled wines being released in June.

Mid April:                     Selection Panel tasting. Estimated case count submitted 75 case min.

End of May:                  Final blend confirmation, case count confirmation, submission of samples with third party basic chem panel and Brett plate; pre-bottling Selection panel tasting.

End of June:                  Wines must be bottled by June 31st. Note: after the case count confirmation (mid-April tasting), actual release case count cannot vary more than 10%).

 

Selection Panel and Review Process:

A Selection Panel of 5 members of Consortium Mendocino, at least 3 being participating winemakers, will be appointed each year at the annual meeting.  The purpose of the panel will be to supervise the Coro tasting process, to conduct the qualifying Selection Panel tasting (a simple pass/fail majority vote) and to conduct the pre-release bottle Review Tasting.