Nose
The nose is powerful yet elegant with that typical Howell Mountain minerality along with notes of dark chocolate covered orange peel, thyme, black cherries followed by aromas of cedar, blackberry seed, and roses.
Palate
The wine is rich and concentrated with a fabulous tannic structure, a beautiful balance and lingering finish.
Growing Conditions
This wine is produced from grapes grown at Hughes Vineyard on the west side of Howell Mountain, at 1750-1800 feet. As usual, respect of the terroir and integrity of the fruit is the key to our winemaking philosophy.
Harvest
Harvest
All handpicked between the 17th and the 31st of October and tenderly carried to the winery in our 35 pound yellow picking lugs. Harvested at sunset and delivered to the winery when they were still fresh and cold, the grapes were meticulously sorted on tour state-of-the-art sorting tables.
Bottling
In order to keep the wine as expressive and balanced as possible, we did not fine nor filter prior to bottling.
Winemaking
After a 6-day cold soak at 37°F, the fermentation took place in temperature controlled five ton stainless steel tanks for 13 days, with pump-overs occurring twice a day. After a 3-week extended maceration, the wine was barreled and aged for 24 months in 100% French oak barrels. The malolactic fermentation happened in barrels and the wine was kept on lees and stirred for 4 months.
Appearance
Densely dark purple with hints of blue on the brim.
