Nose
The 2015 is our most massively proportioned Merlot in years; a forest of clove, oak and vanilla spices
Palate
Densely fruited with mountain huckleberry, black plum and a dusting of cocoa powder. Tightly constructed like the rings of a giant sequoia the wine gradually reveals a core of sappy fruit rooted with hefty, polished tannins.
Growing Conditions
Red varietals are picked at full ripeness and maturity. Hand sorted and de-stemmed to small stainless steel tanks and open top fermenters, the wines are pressed off at dryness after 2-4 weeks on the skins. Bordeaux varietals are aged primarily in new French oak for 19 months then bottled unfined and unfiltered. We also like American oak in some of our blends including the Alec's Blend and Syrah. We produce big, spicy, concentrated wines that are balanced yet full of black fruit and mature, mouth-coating tannins.
We source the finest fruit from Calistoga, St. Helena, Rutherford and Oak Knoll for our red varietals. Each site was selected for a specific varietal character, with many of the vineyards being planted exclusively for us. We've chosen low vigor rootstocks and a selection of clones to give us balanced vines and modest yields, producing maximum flavors.
