Nose
This wine begins with layered aromas of ripe boysenberry, violet, chocolatecovered cherries, sage and sweet clove.
Palate
Combining bold, rich character with silky tannins and lovely energy
and complexity; On the palate, natural acidity and impeccably
integrated tannins add nuance and poise to the juicy fruit flavors, while carrying the wines to
a lingering berry and spice finish.
Growing Conditions
2015 began with a very warm February and March, followed by
abundant heat from mid-May to late June. To address the early season heat, which spurred
the vines to a very early start, 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 finetune our viticulture in the run-up to harvest.
Harvest
Though harvest was our earliest ever, thanks to
knowledge gained from other warm vintages, the quality of the fruit was exceptional. We
picked our merlot from Conner Lee on September 3th at 24.9º Brix. We harvested our
cabernet franc from Conner Lee’s renowned 1991 Block on September 22nd at 25.2º.
Bottling
The final wine was blended just prior to
bottling in February 2017.
Winemaking
We hand-sorted and destemmed the fruit. The merlot and cabernet franc were
fermented separately in wood tanks. Both were fermented for 15 days, with aeration during
fermentation.
Aging
The wines were aged 15 months in Taransaud and Bel Air French Château
barrels, with 33% total new oak and minimal racking.
