Palate
The resulting wine has a dark cocoa type of tannin demonstrating
the texture and complexity of this wine. Enjoy this wine at release and for the next 10
years.
Growing Conditions
Sourced from two vineyards located in the cooler, southern part of the Napa
Valley—Coombsville and Carneros AVAs. 2015 was a very rich vintage with plenty of sunny days, emphasizing the importance
of cool sites and the balance they can bring in a warm, dry year. The rocky soil of
Quail Knoll vineyard in Coombsville brings a Merlot with spice, color and mouthfeel.
The Truchard vineyard is very reliable and produces a very old world style of
Merlot—the wines always show balsamic character and the typical clay mouthfeel
found in Carneros. Vineyards: Quail Knoll and Truchard.
The 2015 growing season in started out with unseasonably warm temperatures in the
late winter and early spring. This resulted in an early bud break and bloom. Colder
temperatures in May caused uneven fruit set which resulted in a much smaller crop.
Harvest
The harvest was one of the earliest on record, beginning on July 22 with the picking
of grapes for sparkling wine, and concluding for most in the valley by mid-October.
Bottling
Bottled without fining or filtration.
Winemaking
The fruit was hand-picked and hand-sorted
with each vineyard fermented separately. Fermentation started after 5 days of cold
soak. We heated the tanks to 90°F and let fermentation start naturally; no yeasts
were added. After 15 and 20 days of maceration, each lot was drained and pressed
separately
Aging
Aged 18 months in French oak barrels (40% new from Allier and
center of France forest with medium long toast, the rest once and twice used). The
wine was racked twice.
