Nose
The nose is full of Washington blueberries, dark chocolate, cedar, and elegant blended
complexity with a balanced weight and texture.
Palate
The youthful cabernet franc dominates
the palate with full fruit, beetroot, and plentiful dusty tannins.
Growing Conditions
The 2003 vintage comes
across like the 1994s and the 1998s did, very rich and soft while young with high
pHs and low acids. Those 90’s wines are drinking very well still. Our 2003s are even
more concentrated with better vineyard management than the previous decade’s wines
from Washington. Youthful and accessible now, the intense fruit, balanced oak and
tannin, will allow this wine to age ten years or more.
Harvest
All our fruits at Buty are hand harvested. The merlot from Conner Lee Vineyard was
harvested on September 22nd measuring 25° brix hydrometer, 3.65 pH, and 8.5 g/L
organic acid as fresh fruit. The Conner Lee cabernet franc we harvested on October 7th
at 25° brix hydrometer, 3.55 pH, and 6.0 organic acids. At Conner Lee we grow six
pounds per plant, less than two bottles per plant, and equivalent to Bordeaux First
Growth per hectare harvest limits. The Champoux Vineyard cabernet franc was handharvested on September 22nd, at full maturity. The cabernet franc measured 25.8° brix
hydrometer, 3.60 pH, and 8.0 g/L organic acid as fresh fruit. As a final blend, the alcohol
is 14.6% and the pH 3.75.
Bottling
November 30th ,
2004.
Winemaking
We aerated during ferment in opentop tanks and hand
punched down. Basket pressed, the wines finished sugar and malolactic ferment in
barrels.
Aging
Aged entirely in traditional French Bordeaux Chateau barrels, 40% new, for 13
months, the blend was finished and eggwhite-fined prior to bottling.
