With a bright purple hue on the edges, this youthful rendition is alive with lavender, raspberry and pink peppercorn on the nose. Bing cherry and tart cranberry blend seamlessly with notes of lamb merguez sausage on the palate. Big, chewy tannins power this wine to its finish with notes of espresso and dark chocolate putting the final touches on this mouthwatering wine.
2018 saw a cool Spring with both bud break and flowering occurred a bit late, but under ideal weather conditions, creating plentiful and even fruit set. Summer brought generous sun during the day and cooler foggy mornings, virtually uninterrupted by major heat spikes. The relatively mild summer followed by extended fall sunshine and moderate heat created near-ideal conditions to allow fruit to accumulate flavor complexity with gradual increases in sugar levels.
The fruit for our 2018 vintage was harvested from October 15th to October 30th. The grapes were hand-picked at night, delicately sorted in the vineyard, then brought to the cellar and de-stemmed. Viticulture Director, Gustavo Aviña, and our vineyard crew delivered perfectly ripened fruit from our vineyards in Carneros, Rutherford and Oakville. Following a cold soak, a high-temperature fermentation occurred to ensure maximum flavor and color extraction. The wine was racked to 50-percent new French oak barrels and aged for 18 months prior to bottling.
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