Nose
A beautiful parfum of Key lime, lemon crème and orange
blossom liven your senses and entices an immediate sip.
Palate
The palate is rich with crème
brulee, lemon meringue, ruby grapefruit, and Asian pear notes. The lengthy finish is
long and clean, with unfolding notes of kiwi and wet stone
Growing Conditions
Yet another year of drought conditions began with our “rainy season” ending early, followed immediately by
flowering fruit trees opening up before the end of January. We received only about 75% of our usual rain. Spring
was long, cool, overcast and punctuated by several windy days during flowering that badly affected fruit set. Shatter
was evident in several of the vineyards we work with; by harvest, our Chardonnay crop was off by about 40% and
our Syrah by 60%. Growing season temperatures were steady and warm – perfect for developing the complex fruit
flavors we look for, as well as preserving the acidity necessary for mouth-watering wine. Harvest began in July, our
earliest harvest date on record at BELL, and we were completely finished bringing in our red grapes by the first day
of October, also a record. To quote Anthony, “Young wines look to be of excellent
quality with deep color and lovely fruit aromas, and initial analysis shows no serious
impacts from the series of heat waves we experienced. Overall yields are down, but it
is safe to say that while we will not have the expected quantity to sell in upcoming
years, the quality will be exceptional.”
Aging
25% Barrel fermented, 25% Stainless steel tank fermented,
50% Barrel aged post stainless steel fermentation
