Palate
Broad and fleshy on the palate, with beautiful purity, nicely integrated acidity and tannin, and a succulent, concentrated finish
Growing Conditions
Our third harvest took place on October 19th, 2002. This year our yield was virtually the same as last year, at about 6.2 tons. As sometimes happens, Mother Nature played a big role this year. After a wonderful summer of almost perfect weather, the valley had more than a week of hot dry winds in mid September. In addition to making everything dusty, this caused most of the grapes to lose moisture, creating a dilemma for everyone. Do you pick a little early so as not to lose too much volume? Or do you hang in there to get the best flavor, even though it might mean a smaller harvest? As you might expect, many of us chose to wait - a bit of a nail-biting experience, since a rainfall would dilute the flavors. Luck was on our side and we were able to pick the fruit when the flavors had completely developed. The grapes were a bit dimpled, but they tasted great! Mia let the grapes cold soak for a while to get them nice and soft before starting fermentation. In December 2002 the wine was moved to barrels
Aging
aged in 100% new French oak for 25 months prior to bottling.
