Nose
This inky wine has complex, brooding aromas of black cherry, cocoa, anise, and alluring floral nuances.
Palate
With both purity and power on the palate and flavors of tobacco, crème de cassis, and exotic spice, Apogee’s structure of fine-grained tannins carries through to a robust, persistent finish.
Growing Conditions
Pepper Bridge vineyard is planted in the terraced remnants of ice age flood deposits, is one of the Walla Walla Valley’s most reputable vineyards. Apogee was the first wine produced from this Certified Sustainable and Salmon-Safe vineyard.
Harvest
The 2017 vintage was moderate in heat units and produced spectacular quality and balance normally associated with such seasonal conditions. A cool, wet spring delayed bud break until early April allowing the vines to fully recover from a hard prior winter. Bloom occurred in early June in line with the long-term average. July and early August were slightly warmer than normal suppressing berry growth and yields. Late September was cooler than normal. This slowed fruit maturation, pushing most of harvest into October. Our beautiful Indian summer brought plentiful sunshine in October. Warm days and cool night temperatures produced an ideal balance of flavor development, acid retention, and mineral notes in the majority of wines. A near-perfect vintage in the door.
Bottling
Bottling Date: July 12, 2020
Winemaking
Each lot was hand-harvested ripe and gently crushed into 1.5 stainless steel fermenters. Gentle handling of the fruit through hand punch downs and gravity-assisted movements were utilized throughout the entire winemaking process. The wine was cleanly racked to 100% small French oak barrels, 50% new, with four rackings over 22 months.
