Growing Conditions

You may have heard how ‘disastrous’, or ‘hopelessly under-ripe’ the 2011 vintage was, but I can assure you that 2011 produced some of the finest wines ever at Kuleto Estate. Because of our altitude, quick-drying soils, and daily breezes, we never have trouble ripening fruit even in challenging years. Our 2011s are loaded with varietal character, perfectly balanced with acid and alcohol, and much more expressive that their warmer vintage counterparts. There are among my favorite wines ever made at Kuleto. Our ‘Danielli’ bottling has evolved from being labeled as ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ to ‘Red Wine’ in order to grant us maximum flexibility in blending the best wine each vintage without having to worry about the 75% varietal minimum. In the case of the 2011, it allowed us to take some fruit-driven lower alcohol Merlot and Malbec that was harvested mid- to late-September and co-fermented and blend it with some late-ripening silky-smooth Cabernet Sauvignon picked on November 1 and 2 . Blending at Kuleto generally takes place at all stages of the process – at harvest with co-fermentation of different varieties, at racking to build strength and complexity into various pieces of a potential blend, and finally with barrel selection as we approach bottling. The goal for our ‘Danielli’ is to make the most flavorful and supple wine possible. Our 2011 Danielli flies in the face of those who define vintage 2011 as under-ripe. This wine is all about fruit sweetness and seamless wood integration.