Nose
On the nose the wine shows a youthful and fruit packed character with notes of plums, violets and spices such as pepper and licorice.
Palate
In the mouth the wine revels a very rich body with round tannins that gives structure to the concentrated fruit.
Growing Conditions
We grow the Tannat grape at extreme heights, specifically 2800 feet on our Upper Ridge Vineyard in the Pine Mountain/Cloverdale Peak AVA.
2014 was a vintage that brought us a third year of drought. We received “miracle rains” in March, and a shakeup by Mother Earth in August that kept us on our toes (thankfully we only had a few repairs needed). The summer went smoothly, without significant heat spikes, but we did see high humidity throughout. Harvest was fast and compact until the early part of October provided a break to process the massive amounts of fruit. This is another great vintage on the heels of the fantastic 2012’s, and superb 2013’s; 2014, creating wines of true pedigree.
Winemaking
Fermentation took place in small open top tanks and was punched down daily. After pressing, the wine was racked to French oak barrels.
Aging
French oak barrels and aged for 18 months.
Food Pairing
Pair with juicy red meats, stews, or grilled bitter vegetables.
