Nose
The wine opens up with densely packed aromas of
violets and warm blueberry pie.
Palate
After opening, it delivers
more concentrated flavors of dark chocolate and coffee.
The palate texture is dense and develops into a firm yet
silky finish.
Growing Conditions
After warmer than average 2012 and 2013 vintages, 2014
in Eastern Washington was one of the warmest seasons in
decades with favorable temperature conditions extending
into fall. Overall, 2014 was a pleasant growing season; ripening was
excellent for all varieties in all locations.
Red Mountain is a premiere vineyard site known for
producing powerful, opulent wines of distinction. The area has a desert climate with average yearly rainfall
of five inches per year. During the growing season, daytime
temperatures average 90° F (32° C) with nighttime
temperatures dropping below 50° F (10° C). The Hezel loamy fine sand soil is excellent for growing
grapes because it allows for superior drainage.
Winemaking
Fruit was handpicked at the peak of ripeness, destemmed, sorted and placed into stainless steel tanks. A twice-daily pumpover regime was used to extract color and flavors. The grapes were cold soaked for two days prior to fermentation to help extract color and flavor from the grape skins without extracting too much tannin.
Aging
Half of this blend aged in a French oak tank for 6 months
before draining to fill neutral oak barrels and aging for an
additional 10 months.
