Nose
Aromas of mandarin
orange, spearmint, honeysuckle, and nutmeg.
Palate
On the palate, the wine
is lively, full-bodied and rich. It shows luxurious citrus flavors with
a touch of vanilla and nice lengthy buttery finish.
Growing Conditions
An early spring in the Russian River Valley set a
large crop, requiring extensive work in the
vineyard to manage the yield for optimum flavor
intensity and richness in the grapes. Cool weather
in late September and October extended the
harvest providing for enhanced flavor
development
Harvest
Hand harvested grapes.
Bottling
Bottled unfined and unfiltered, January 2003.
Winemaking
¨ Whole cluster, direct to press
¨ Barrel fermented with indigenous yeasts, 9 months to
completion
¨ Concurrent native malolactic fermentation in barrels
Aging
Barrel aged 10 months, 64% new French oak, sur lies and
stirred.