Harvest
100% Cabernet Franc, Seven Hills Vineyard, block 32. 33% new oak.
Bottling
Sourced from the famed Seven Hills Vineyard, this Bordeaux variety shines in the Walla Walla Valley and makes a great addition to the “Nox Eternelle” fold. Opening with blackberry and dark cherry, with the characteristic herbaceous undertone typical of the variety, it delivers cassis, black pepper, and tobacco on the nose. On the palate, the fruit and peppery flavors pair with a hint of vanilla, dark chocolate, firm and dusty tannins, and moderate acidity that lead into a long finish. 3.69 pH and 5.9 g/L of titratable acidity. Drink 2018 through 2030. 33% new oak.
Winemaking
The 2015 vintage was a hot and dry one. We experienced very little rainfall in the Walla Walla Valley, and we experienced nearly two consecutive weeks over 110 degrees. To combat this weather, drip irrigation was extensively utilized and canopies were less managed to promote shading of the fruit. At harvest, the grapes were more than ready to be picked, toward the end of September. Harvested on September 23rd, the grapes were destemmed with the use of enzymes for settling and juice extraction and an ascorbic acid, SO2, and tannin blend to control oxygen contact. The wine was fermented with D254 yeast in an open top fermenter at a relatively moderate temperature for a red, 85 degrees. The wine was coinnoculated for ML and fermented to dryness and pressed off the skins to tank. A day later, the wine was moved to barrels to complete ML. Total time: 10 days in fermentation. After secondary fermentation was complete, SO2 was added. The wine was racked off the lees after nine months and was racked only three times. The wine was crossflow filtered before bottling and went to bottle on April 3rd, 2017. 33% new oak.
