Nose
Perfumed with
lychee and white peach.
Palate
The 2006 is a richly-textured, sleek and wellstructured
offering. Its mouth-filling palate offers beautifully
delineated layers of apple and guava, with yeasty notes of toasted
brioche, pineapple and harvest spice to complement a racy finish.
Growing Conditions
2006 was slightly cooler overall than 2005 and
began with delayed bud break due to a long, wet
spring. The weather warmed in May, continuing
through summer and into fall to provide the
extended growing season needed for fruit to
ripen fully. Ritchie Vineyard was harvested on
October 2, escaping mid-harvest rains that arrived
the following week and posed the potential for
botrytis in the vineyard.
Harvest
Hand-harvested grapes.
Bottling
Unblended, unfined and unfiltered; bottled January 2008
Winemaking
♦ Whole cluster, direct to press, cold
♦ Barrel fermented with indigenous yeasts; 3 months to completion
♦ Concurrent spontaneous malolactic fermentation in barrels; 3 months
to completion
Aging
Aged 16 months in French oak barrels; 74% new (Francois Freres,
Sirugue, Seguin Moreau and Damy). Aged sur lies and batonnage biweekly
Appearance
Glistening pale gold in the glass.