Nose
Cabernet Franc’s invigorating aromas of tobacco leaf, pencil lead and rose petal lead to flavors of dark plum and bittersweet chocolate.
Palate
Shaped by Merlot, the palate is opulent, rich and concentrated with fine structure and silky tannins supporting the fruit’s ample weight through the lingering finish. Magnificent now, the wine promises to develop even more grace and complexity with additional cellaring.
Growing Conditions
Inspired by the noble wines of Bordeaux’s “Right Bank,” this tiny-production bottling – the first for this wine – was crafted exclusively from Merlot and Cabernet Franc grown on the slopes of our Waters Ranch Vineyard high above the Napa Valley.
Vineyard: Pahlmeyer Estate Waters Ranch Vineyard.
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Bottling
It was bottled unfined and unfiltered on April 25, 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 for eighteen months.
