Nose

Aromatics of cherry, plum,
black raspberry and rose.

Palate

Succulent flavors of lush,
forward, black cherry fruit supported by good structure and a
beautiful, long, silky finish.

Growing Conditions

A cold spring which resulted in late bud break,
followed by a relatively warm summer, produced
concentrated, big style wines. Additionally, much
work in the vineyard to limit a large crop set
helped to further optimize flavor intensity and
richness in the grapes.

Harvest

Hand-harvested grapes.

Bottling

Unblended, unfined, unfiltered; bottled January 2004.

Winemaking

♦ Fermented in small, open-top stainless steel fermentors with indigenous
yeasts; 2 months to completion
♦ Spontaneous malolactic fermentation in barrels, 6 months to
completion

Aging

Aged 16 months in French oak barrels from Remond, Francois Freres,
and Cadus; 88 % new.

Appearance

The wine is a
deep purple color with a red/blue hue.