96 points, James Suckling
The extremely dense, dark color of 2017 FORTIS comes from vines grafted to small-berry clones. This wine’s deep, complex aromas and flavors of ripe, jammy fruit— suggesting plum, blackberry and dark cherry—are layered with intriguing nuances of cedar box, wild mushrooms and tobacco leaf. Silky, supple tannins and balanced acidity frame the expansive flavors and lingering finish.
The intensity of FORTIS complements full-flavored foods, such as prime rib, and complex cheeses, including 36-month-aged Gouda or Manchego.
96 points, James Suckling
96 points, James Suckling
A mild spring followed a winter with abundant rainfall, resulting in ideal cluster set. Adequate soil moisture levels gave the vines resilience during several heat waves that punctuated the ripening period and led to an early onset to harvest.
When each vineyard reached its optimum maturity, we hand-harvest the clusters during cold night temperatures, which captures vibrant acidity and fruit expression in the wine. We first cold-soak the destemmed grapes for two days for gentle flavor development, and then ferment the must in 120-gallon French oak puncheons. During puncheon fermentation, which provides early integration of fruit and oak character, we punch down the skins thrice daily for high extraction of varietal character, color and tannins. After pressing, the wine is transferred to new Seguin Moreau French oak barrels to meld the bright fruit expression with oak nuances of baking spices and brown sugar. After three months in barrel, the initial blend of the varieties is made so that the wine can marry during the balance of the 24 months of aging. To retain the wine’s full complexity, the wine was bottled without fining or filtration.
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