Nose

Ripe black cherry, dark blackberry and black plum
lead into touches of vanilla sugar, toasty oak and baking spice.

Palate

The palate is opulent
and impeccably-structured, framed by plush tannins and opening with lush cherry,
blackberry pie and cassis fruits that fade into impressions of creamy caramel, fine
cocoa and freshly-roasted espresso bean that persist through the enduring finish.

Growing Conditions

Only the finest blocks of the most outstanding fruit are selected from
our 200 acres of estate vineyards across the Napa Valley for this special bottling.
Every vintage, the appellation composition of this wine will vary depending upon the
performance and character of each vineyard.

For 2011, the blend is composed of 50%
Stags Leap District, 47%, Rutherford and 3% Oakville fruit.

The mild 2011 vintage allowed for a long hang time,
resulting in evenly ripe, complex flavors in the berries.

Harvest

The fruit for this wine was harvested
at an optimal level of ripeness late September through late October. Fermentation took
place at a high temperature to ensure that maximum extraction was achieved.

Aging

Racked to 60% new French oak barrels. The wine was aged in barrel for a total of
18 months before bottling.

Appearance

The 2011 FORTIS presents an opaque, ruby-black hue in the glass
and a bounty of alluring aromas.