Nose

This wine opens with aromas of milk chocolate and fresh cherries (almost choclatecovered
cherries), rounded out by blackberry, dried cranberry, bay leaf and brown sugar.

Palate

Smoky, sweet black
cherry, dried cranberry, tea, cocoa, brown sugar and very subtle blackberry notes characterize the flavors of this
medium to full bodied wine. A long, sweet finish is accented by butter-vanilla, toast, berry and bay. Enjoy now
or cellar for ten years.

Growing Conditions

The 2000 season was generally mild, with some heat spikes early on. The weather later cooled,
allowing the reds to ripen more slowly, contributing to fuller flavor at lower alcohol levels.

Harvest

Grapes were hand
harvested in late September to early October 2000 from our three narrow-spaced estate vineyards in the
Rutherford appellation

Bottling

This wine was not fined and
was bottled in July 2002.

Winemaking

After hand picking, the grapes underwent extended maceration for 21 to 34 days.
This contact with the skins develops the expansive mouthfeel and tannin structure of the wine.

Aging

Aged
in new, one, and two-vintage-old French oak barrels for 17 to 19 months.