Nose
Aromas of wildflower and rose oil deepen as the wine opens.
Palate
Flavors of cassis, huckleberry and tar are accented by notes of smoked meats and cardamom. Polished, fine-grained tannins are supple and silky. The multi-layered finish relaxes and evolves with time, indicating age-worthiness.
Growing Conditions
The 2009 growing season was steady and mild. Late, light spring rains provided natural irrigation while a warm spell in June helped shut down excessive canopy growth. Temperatures stayed in the 80 to 90 degree range – the “sweet spot” for slow, even ripening – through harvest. The 2009 Proprietary Red is at once elegant, rich and powerful.
Bottling
It was bottled unfined and unfiltered on April 21, 2011.
Winemaking
The grape clusters were hand-sorted, and once de-stemmed, the berries were sorted again by hand on the way to tank. After four to five days of pre-fermentation cold maceration in small open-top fermentors, the fruit began 100% native yeast fermentation. Two to three weeks later, the fruit was gently pressed and moved to barrel where it finished primary and secondary fermentations.
Aging
The wine continued to age in 85% new French oak – a combination of Taransaud and St. Martin barrels – for eighteen months.
Appearance
Brilliant purple in color.
