Palate
Created from 100% Merlot grapes, this wine displays flavors of cocoa, cranberry,
orange zest, cherry and pipe tobacco. The palate shows a velvety texture and good
length, round and balanced without being oppressively heavy. Enjoy now and for ten
years from vintage.
Growing Conditions
Sourced mostly from the cooler, southern part of the Napa Valley. The Napa Valley Vintners Association described the 2013 growing season as “early,
even and excellent” with the vintage showing tremendous promise and potential.
The warm, dry spring brought early bud break and ideal conditions for flowering and
fruit set. Temperatures were consistent throughout the summer with the exception of
one heat spike in late June / early July.
Harvest
Billed as the earliest harvest in recent history,
we began picking Chardonnay on September 1st, grapes came in at a furious pace
throughout the month. Overall, harvest finished about two weeks earlier than normal
and yields on the whole were above average.
Bottling
Bottled
unfined and unfiltered.
Winemaking
The fruit was
hand-picked and hand-sorted before undergoing an extended cold soak, with two
weeks on the skins. After primary fermentation and native malolactic fermentation.
Aging
The wine was aged for 20 months in French oak (40% new).
