Fresh floral and herbaceous notes fill the nose of the 2023 Petit Verdot, in the form of dried violets.
There’s a touch of iron, treated to inviting notes of dark Bing cherries, espresso beans, and Dutch process cocoa. On the palate, the wine gains momentum, ascending along the track of a chewy tannic structure and luminous sweet cherry juice flavors. There’s a slate-like element and then–like a skilled cliff diver–a dramatic, graceful, and succinct finish. Cellar this wine for 8-13 years and bring it to a dinner table set with caramelized pork belly.
Vintage
2023
Varietal
Petit Verdot
Region
Napa Valley
Alcohol
15.5%
Vintage Notes
The 2023 growing season began with heavy winter rain, replenishing our reservoirs and lakes. Bud break was delayed due to a cooler than usual season, typically occurring once every 10 to 15 years. Despite this, we enjoyed a lengthy season with yields from average to 10% above average. With no disease pressure, increased soil water, and extended hang time, 2023 is destined to be legendary. Our vines thrived with healthy canopies, and the grapes ripened slowly, ensuring this “once-in-a-decade” vintage provided fruit that could perform at the apex of quality.
Winemaker’s Notes
The 2023 vintage was harvested from October 19th to November 1st. The grapes were hand-harvested at night—when temperatures often dip to 50˚F—to capture vibrant acidity and fruit expression in the wine. We first cold-soaked the must (crushed grapes) for gentle extraction
and then fermented in stainless steel, concrete and oak barrel fermenters at 88˚F. Rigorous pump-overs, increasing during the peak of the fermentation, developed deep color, rich varietal character and fine tannins in the wine. The wine was aged in 55% new French oak barrels to meld the bright fruit expression with oak spice nuances. After three months of aging, we blended the vineyard components and allow them to marry for a total of 20 months of barrel elevage. This wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered to present the attributes of the vineyard in the purest form possible, from the dirt to the glass!