Nose
The Madrona Ranch components lend gravel notes and pure cassis, wild blackberry, bay laurel, and liquorice root aromas and flavors.
Palate
The Thorevilos Vineyard lots add damson plum, warm mission fig, juniper, and talc. Precise and well defined, this young wine exudes a confidence and purity on the palate. The lasting finish struts with an array of citrus botanicals, beef blood, and the spices anise, cinnamon, and coriander.
Winemaking
In the cool darkness of night, grapes were hand-picked into twenty-five pound bins to minimize crushing. By early morning, the grapes were subjected to rigorous selection by our three-tiered sorting process, which includes our cutting edge optical sorter and a slow, individual berry hand sort. The fruit was gently gravity-delivered to small tanks by our unique crane system which kept the berries intact. Cold soaks lasted from five to eight days, and fermentations were managed through a combination of pump overs and délestage. Extended maceration of up to six weeks ensured exceptional extraction and fine-tuning of tannin profiles. This wine underwent twenty-one months of élevage in French oak barrels, 66% of which are new.
