Nosing the glass, one is enticed by the juxtaposition of aromatics such as blackberry, strawberry jam, and quince with those of tobacco, Tellicherry peppercorn and anise. On the palate, cherry compote, and ground dark roast Sumatran coffee merge seamlessly with fig tart and uber ripe Santa Rosa plum. This elegant, yet broad-weighted wine is nicely cinched in by the natural acidity that is a hallmark of this property. The supple, lush tannins provide a length that provides one the time to savor each sip while sharing the wine with convivial compatriots over great meals. This wine should show power well through 2040. This bottling will pair beautifully with this month’s recipe; Rosemary Lamb Chops with Parmesan Polenta.
Our estate vineyard was harvested on September 28th to maximize the specific ripeness attributes we were aiming for at this vineyard designate site. 2019 began with a wet and cool spring, which pushed bud break out two weeks later than in 2018. The summer growing season was relatively uneventful, with no heat spikes. Due to the moderate weather and late bud break, veraison did not end until early August in some areas of the valley. Autumn brought hot days and cool nights which helped push the grapes to full ripening, while preserving their acidity. As a result, the wines produced from this vintage are full and robust with deep color.
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 92˚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 100% new French oak barrels to meld the bright fruit expression with oak spice nuances over 26 months of barrel-aging. 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!
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