Nose
Aromas of fresh black currants and cherries accompanied by subtle smoky notes and dried spices.
Palate
This lavish, powerful wine is layered with juicy blackberry, ripe cherry, vanilla bean and brown butter. It's full-bodied and rich, balanced by a touch of bright acidity and firm polished tannins.
Growing Conditions
The 2018 growing season gave us near-normal rainfall and mild conditions through spring with only a few weeks of exception. July brought a short period of very warm weather that slowed vine growth and berry sizing. Fortunately, moderate weather for the remainder of the growing season enabled vines to thrive.
Harvest
Leading up to harvest, the vines slow berry maturity was ideal for "hang time" resulting in predicted yields, high fruit quality with amazing structure and color.
Winemaking
After harvesting the grapes, select vineyard lots were fermented individually in stainless-steel tanks for 10-14 days. Extended macerations and carefully managed pump overs enhanced the extraction of color and tannin.
Aging
The lots were aged separately for 11 months in a combination of 10% new, 25% once used, and 65% two to three times used French Oak. Through a combination of tasting and analytics our best lots were determined and the initial blend was assembled in late summer of 2019. As a whole,
this blend was aged an additional three months in 75% new and 25% once used French Oak. The wine was racked just twice during its cellar life, with the final racking occurring just prior to bottling.
Appearance
Ruby
