Palate
It has great acid and structure with enough tannin to provide backbone and aging potential without being overbearing.
Growing Conditions
The Carneros Estate ranch, home to all the grapes that made this wine, is cooled by its proximity to San Pablo Bay and the Pacific Ocean. This extends the ripening time of the grapes, allowing them to retain their acid levels and herbal character lending this wine its brightness and structure. The vines are planted in the well drained volcanic soils of our Estate hillside vineyard.
Bottling
The wine is racked once more during the course of aging and then moved to a tank for bottling.
Winemaking
Grapes are de-stemmed with minimal crushing. Must is pumped to a temperature controlled stainless steel tank and inoculated with a pure strain of wine yeast to ensure complete and healthy fermentation. Grapes are pressed and the juice is moved to a settling tank.
Aging
22 months in 35% new French oak.
Food Pairing
This Valeriano pairs brilliantly with blackened Ahi or smoked tri-tip.
