Forlorn Hope takes its name from a Napoleonic-era term for the volunteers who led the charge against fortified positions. For Matthew Rorick it is the perfect banner for a cellar full of California's forgotten and underdog grape varieties.
Backstory
Rorick started Forlorn Hope in 2005 near Murphys, in the Sierra Foothills, drawing on a love of wine inherited from his grandfather. In 2013 he bought the property that became Rorick Heritage Vineyard, a site first ranched by the Shaw family in 1844, and converted its farming to organic practices.
The Region
The estate lies in Calaveras County in California's rugged Sierra Foothills, with Rorick also working fruit from areas such as Alta Mesa. It is high, sun-exposed country that rewards the patient, low-intervention farming he practices.
Vineyards and Farming
Rorick tends roughly 75 acres of organically farmed vines at Rorick Heritage Vineyard. The plantings lean toward overlooked varieties such as Alvarelhao, Picpoul and St. Laurent, part of a broader mission to explore California's forgotten grapes, regions and styles.
Winemaking
The wines are fermented spontaneously with no added chemicals, and Rorick avoids new oak in the cellar. The aim is aromatic complexity, texture and bright acidity, with low and no-intervention methods throughout. He is among the leading California winemakers working in this style.
The Wines
The range is deliberately eclectic, spanning crisp whites, skin-contact orange wines, distinctive reds and lower-alcohol bottlings, all built around the unusual grapes that give the project its name.
