Nose
Fragrant violet, mineral and licorice notes are full of personality.
Palate
Thick, full-bodied tannins and a smoky espresso note to the ripe black fruit flavors. Dark and rich, with flavors that persist on the finish.
Growing Conditions
The legacy of Quixote and it's sought-after wines are above all, how our Winemaking team looks to stay true to the vineyard and let the wines express the true meaning of our Stag's Leap Appellation terroir. Our unique vineyard has five distinct soil types and both east and west facing slopes giving us wines of great balance and complexity.
Harvest
Our grapes are both picked and sorted by hand from small picking bins instead of large 1/2 tons bins that can crush the grapes under their own weight. Any grapes with flaws are discarded to ensure the best quality and flavors
Bottling
Bottling Date: Nov 2011.
Aging: 2 years in bottle
Winemaking
The grapes then go through a cold soak phase to start extracting flavors and color prior to fermentation starting. During the first 45 minutes of the cold soak about 10-15% of the liquid volume is removed from each tank to help the wines become richer and fuller body. It's from a portion of this removed liquid that we make our Rose of Petite Sirah that sells out early into the summer months.
During fermentation we have an aggressive regiment for extraction to create the finest wines from each vintage. Hand punch downs and gentle pumpovers are at higher frequency than your typical winery to give beautiful textures and powerful characteristics to our wines.
Aging
Barrel Aging: 6 Months in New French and 50% American Oak