Nose
Luxurious briar and bramble aromas of
black currant and blackberry rise from the class, along with hints of sweet sage
and toasty oak.
Palate
On the palate, syrah-driven dark raspberry notes emerge, along
with flavors of black cherry, berry cobbler and baking spices, all supported by
bright acidity and firm, age-worthy tannins.
Growing Conditions
2015 began with a warm February and March, followed by
abundant heat from mid-May to late June. To address the early season heat, we
tailored our irrigation, crop size and shading to the needs of the vineyard. From
July on, the weather returned to seasonal averages, allowing us to fine-tune our
viticulture in the run-up to harvest. The remarkable quality of the cabernet sauvignon from Phinny
Hill in 2015 shines through in this wine, providing beautiful richness and structure
that underscores its juicy fruit and spice.
Harvest
Though harvest was our earliest ever, thanks
to knowledge gained from other warm vintages, the quality of the fruit was
exceptional. Our 174 Clone syrah was picked on September 14th at 24.0 ̊ Brix
and a pH of 3.79 and our Noir Clone syrah was picked September 16th at 23.3 ̊
Brix and a pH of 3.79. Our cabernet sauvignon was picked on September 18 and
23 at 25.3 Brix, with a pH of 3.79.
Bottling
Bottled unfined.
Winemaking
After de-stemming, the uncrushed fruit was gravity-transferred to
wooden Taransaud fermentation tanks. Both the cabernet sauvignon and syrah
were individually fermented. To manage the tannins, the cabernet spent 17 days
on the skins, and the syrah spent 14 days. Only free-run wine was selected for
this bottling, which was made from the finest lots of our Phinny Hill harvest.
Aging
The
wine was aged for 20 months in 100% French oak barrels, with 44% of the total
being new.
