Nose
The wine opens with aromas of peach and pear with pineapple and a hint of toast.
Palate
The palate continues with these stone fruit flavors along with tropical notes rounded out with mild toasty oak. The finish is long and crisp with ripe apple, citrus and a hint of mineral character.
Growing Conditions
The 2013 growing season began with an early spring that was warm and dry. This beautiful weather continued on through bloom and fruit set was excellent. Coming off vintage 2012, which delivered exceptionally high yields; we did not expect to see another heavy year. Fortunately, with the beautiful weather the vines set a very high number of heavy grape clusters. We set new records for our vineyard crew for tons picked in a day, and for our winery for tons pressed in a day. Without any heat spikes or significant rain, all of the fruit was picked at optimal maturity and it came to the winery in excellent condition to produce outstanding wines.
Winemaking
•100% whole-cluster pressed to maximize extraction of bitter compounds. •Partial malolactic fermentation at 25%.
•Barrel fermented and aged in French oak (25% New oak) for nine months. •Battonage every four weeks for six months.
Food Pairing
Pairs incredibly well with fresh lobster and melted butter, seared scallops with a cauliflower puree or a light citrus and stone fruit salad. Thanks to the bright citrus flavors and lively acidity, it makes an excellent complement to a delicate chèvre cheese or a bold epoisse.
