Palate
While this wine has gorgeous depth and ripeness, its
phenomenal natural acidity adds poise and precision to the abundant layers of
pure fruit. A rich and juicy cherry cobbler core of merlot is surrounded by layers
of blueberry and spice from the cabernet franc, which also contributes to this
wine’s excellent acidity and lovely fine-grained tannins. Oak aging has subtly
imparted hints of cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg, underscoring the merlot’s body
and richness. The finish is long and lingering with vibrant red berry and spice
notes.
Growing Conditions
The season began with early springtime heat that yielded
extremely small clusters of intensely concentrated fruit. Prior to a big cool down
in the last several weeks of the growing season, 2013 was on track to be one of
the hottest growing seasons in memory. Plenty of sunshine, and a lack of any
significant rain events, allowed us complete control over irrigation, which in turn
enabled us to fine tune crop size and fruit development.
Harvest
We harvested our merlot
from Conner Lee on September 27th and our cabernet franc on October 19th.
Bottling
The final wine was blended just prior to bottling in January 2015.
Winemaking
We hand-sorted and destemmed the fruit. To preserve aromatics,
the cabernet franc was gravity transferred to small fermenters and fermented for
17 days, while the merlot was fermented in wood tanks for 13 days. Both were
aerated during fermentation, and only free-run wine was selected for the blend.
Aging
The wines were aged 15 months in Taransaud and Bel Air French Château
barrels and 500-liter Ermitage puncheons, with 55% new oak and minimal
racking.
