Growing Conditions
Monte Rosso Vineyard rolls across steep, rugged terrain in the majestic Mayacamas Mountains nearly 1,300 feet above the Sonoma Valley. Owned by the Louis M. Martini Winery since 1938, it is named for its rich, red volcanic soils and has produced award winning wines for three generations. The vineyard’s mix of high altitude, position above the fog, low-yielding vines, and ideal western exposure produces wines with a unique sense of terroir. Monte Rosso is one of California’s most prized locations for wine grapes.
The 2013 growing season on the Mayacamas and at Monte Rosso was another excellent year in a string of great vintages. The spring was mild and dry, summer was consistently warm but not extremely hot, and fall stayed dry through harvest. That long, consistent hang time allowed for wonderful fruit development, and the mix of steady warm sun and cool nights gave the fruit vibrant color, excellent acidity, intense fruit flavors and rich texture.
Winemaking
The Cabernet grapes for this wine were carefully hand harvested and hand sorted, then cold soaked for up to three days before being gravity fed into 3.5 ton and 7-ton open top fermenters. After primary fermentation, free run juice was drained and the must gently pressed in a 5-ton basket press.
Aging
he wine was racked by gravity into oak barrels for malolactic fermentation, then aged in separate lots for up to 26 months in French and American oak barrels (72% new French, 16% new American, 12% neutral barrels). The final blend was assembled, then sent back to barrel to allow the flavors to integrate before bottling.
