Nose
Overtones of black cherry, currant and blackberry in
combination with undertones of chocolate, coffee and pepper meld with the vanilla and
cedar nuances of French oak in waves of complexity.
Palate
On the palate the wine is deep
and brooding, with great structure and depth of flavor. The wine has concentrated yet
supple tannins, good fruit and acidity and a persistent finish, contributing to a finely
balanced wine
Winemaking
The grapes are hand-harvested and gently crushed to retain 40% whole berries. Prior to yeasting with Bordeaux red
yeast, we cold soaked for 48 hours, increasing the richness and intensity of the fruit character. Color extraction
utilizes a combination of manual pump overs via a screen during the initial fermentation, with gentle cap irrigation
as the wine goes dry. The grapes were drained and pressed at dryness. The free-run and press wines were kept
separate. Following fermentation the wine went through malo-lactic fermentation in the barrel. The wine was aged
in 93% French oak, thin stave barrels for approximately 21 months and racked every other month to naturally clarify
the wine and soften the tannins. With no filtration or fining, the wine was laid down in bottle for 12 months aging
prior to release
