Palate
Cold Creek is an amazing vineyard for many reasons, not the least of which is
its ability to consistently showcase varieties that display purity of fruit along with rich texture from one vintage to the next. The warm growing season of 2014 allowed grapes to develop their varietal TYPICITÉ while maturing their tannins, setting the stage for the creation of this exuberant blend
Growing Conditions
2014 in Eastern Washington was one of the warmest seasons in decades.
The ripening period in September cooled to more typical weather for the region. In October temperatures rose again to one of the warmest October months
on record.
Overall 2014 was an ideal growing season; ripening was excellent for all varieties in all locations.
Planted in 1973, the south-facing Cold Creek Vineyard is a warm, dry site with high heat accumulation.
The low yielding old vines produce small clusters and small berries, resulting in intense varietal flavors and deep color. The site’s weak, loamy sand and gravel soils with low-water holding capacity produce moderate crops and concentrated grapes.
Cold Creek vineyard is LIVE and Salmon Safe certified.
Winemaking
Ripe grapes were destemmed and sorted with a cutting-edge grape receiving and sorting system designed to gently remove any green material from the grapes, allowing for pure varietal expression and soft mouthfeel.
A portion of the fruit was left on stems and fermented in concrete tanks with whole clusters intact, providing fine structure and added complexity.
Daily gentle pumpovers were used to extract optimal flavor and color and minimize harsh tannins.
Aging
Aged 22 months in a combination of 31% new American oak, 8% new French oak and 61% neutral oak barrels.
