Nose
chocolate, blueberry and rich Aussie black licorice, vanilla bean.
Palate
blackberries and dark fruits, a touch of jam and peppery spice.
Growing Conditions
As harvest was just beginning, the memorable South Napa Earthquake arrived on August 24 at 3:20 a.m.,
forever changing how we think about this vintage. In the vineyard, a warm spring set up a perfect start to the
season, following one of the driest winters on record. Rain arrived in late February for a brief time, but there was
no damage as we moved through bud break to flowering and fruit set. When you begin early, you
generally finish early, and that was the case here, after a fairly routine summer season with no exceptional heat
events. We saw a bit more fruit than in recent vintages, a good thing.
Aging
20 months in French oak (40% new)
Food Pairing
duck, squab and pork, sweet onions, leafy greens, rainbow chard, Bloomsdale spinach, heirloom tomatoes and grain mustard. Young Gouda cheese.
