Palate
This Grenache opens with lovely, fresh aromatics of blueberry
and red currant which are elegantly layered with chocolate
and hints of red licorice.
Growing Conditions
The 2016 vintage experienced the best of both worlds with a hot
spring and early summer. A cooler than normal end of the ripening
season allowed the wines to have ripeness, yet maintain freshness
and elegance. Overall, 2016 saw very favorable growing conditions, producing
wines with nicely resolved tannins and maturity.
Source: Coyote Canyon Vineyard
Harvest
The early dry and warm spring, combined with cooler temperatures
in August and September, slowed down ripening and resulted in the
longest harvest on record in Washington State.
Winemaking
Fruit was handpicked at the peak of ripeness, destemmed, sorted
and placed into small open-top fermenters uncrushed. A small amount of fruit was whole-cluster fermented. The free-run juice was barreled down and kept separate from the
lightly basket-pressed skins.
Aging
Lots were placed in 43% new French oak barrels for malolactic
fermentation. Aging occurred for 18 months. Lots were blended just prior to bottling. Free run made up the majority
of the blend bringing aromatics, and a small amount of the basket press
was remarried into the blend to bring structure and complexity.
Food Pairing
The approach is soft and leads to a
velvety smooth finish where the sweet fruit and chocolate hang
on your palate.
