Nose
Heavy Earth, infused with leather, oak and
Blackberry jump from the glass. Hints of
cassis and other dark fruit peer from the
shadows.
Palate
The palate is a polar opposite of
the nose. Rich currant and cassis blast on
the tongue, evolving into blackberry, oak,
leather and Earth. The finish is spice cocoa
combined with a black cherry and plumb
extravaganza.
Growing Conditions
The 2012 growing season came in like a lion, cooler than normal and
above average rain through the spring. The sky cleared during the first
week of June and things began to dry out and temperatures in June and
July were average. It warmed up in August and temperatures stayed
above average with only light rain through October. Overall the season
was a little late but Mother nature gave us a great growing season and
perfectly balanced fruit and spice characters with plenty of Washington
terroir.
100% Francisca’s Vineyard Walla Walla. Even though Francisca’s vineyard is only has 4.3acres planted in Syrah, and
produces fantastic Syrah, the Eastern most two acres are very unique, mostly sand. This sub-area of the vineyard produces the clusters we reserve for the Princess Syrah.
Bottling
April 3, 2014
Winemaking
n 2012 we destemmed the clusters without
crushing, using only gravity to move them into one larger (2.5 ton) closed top fermenter and one smaller (1
ton) open top fermenter. Two different yeast strains were used. The larger tank was pressed after 21 days, the
smaller lot was pressed after 33 days.
Aging
The “free run” was directly transferred into 228L barrels and aged for 16
months. 80% new oak, 80% French oak
& 20% American Oak
