The 2015 FORTIS shows a classic Bordeaux nose with pencil lead, dark fruit aromas, plum, and earth. Elegant with rich fruit intensity expressing dark cherries, concentrated blackberry jam, mocha, espresso, and vanilla. An expansive palate leads to a long, ripe, polished finish. We barrel age the wine in our winery’s caves to mature flavors and integrate plush, layered textures. This is a seamless wine with great finesse that will continue to age gracefully.
For this special bottling, only the finest blocks of the most outstanding fruit are selected from our 47 acres of estate vineyards in the Stags Leap District. Each year there are a few blocks that stand out as stellar among the others. These blocks are designated for FORTIS.
Following several years of drought, February delivered much-needed rain to the vines. Budbreak occurred early in 2015 due to warmer than normal temperatures in late winter and early spring. Warm temperatures and abundant sunshine June through October led to good growth the rest of the season, an early harvest, and very high-quality, balanced fruit.
The grapes were hand harvested at night, carefully sorted in the vineyard, and brought to the cellar and destemmed. The grapes received a cold soak, followed by fermentation at a high temperature to ensure maximum extraction was achieved. Then, the wine was racked to 100 percent new French Seguin Moreau Icône oak barrels, where it was aged for 27 months prior to bottling.
95/pts – Wine Advocate
The 2016 FORTIS opens with aromas of dark fruit, sweet oak, graphite, graham cracker, and macerated mixed berries and cherries. The entry is bright and leads to flavors of black cherry, licorice, licorice spice, dark chocolate, blueberries, and minerality. The fruit carries through layer upon layer, revealing depth and texture, and broadens across the palate with a cocoa powder texture and mocha flavor. We barrel age the wine in our winery’s caves to mature flavors and integrate plush, layered textures. This is a seamless wine with great finesse that will continue to age gracefully.
95/pts – Wine Advocate
The 2016 harvest marks the fifth great vintage in a row. Although it was another drought year and yields tended to be a bit lower, the quality was very high. The year started out hot, then became cold, then turned hot again, and October began one of the heaviest rain seasons this region has seen in many years.
The 2016 harvest marks the fifth great vintage in a row. Although it was another drought year and yields tended to be a bit lower, the quality was very high. The year started out hot, then became cold, then turned hot again, and October began one of the heaviest rain seasons this region has seen in many years.
The grapes were hand harvested at night, carefully sorted in the vineyard, and brought to the cellar and destemmed. The grapes received a cold soak, followed by fermentation at a high temperature to ensure maximum extraction was achieved. Then, the wine was racked to 100 percent new French Seguin Moreau Icône oak barrels, where it was aged for 27 months prior to bottling.
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.
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.
