Aromas of ripe bing cherry, plum and fresh-roasted espresso beans echo in the wine's rich, dark flavors. An earthy minerality lends intriguing complexity before the mouth-feel softens to silky tannins on the finish.
Composition
72% Cabernet Sauvignon
17% Merlot
6% Cabernet Franc
5% Malbec
Critics
90 Points
James Laube, Wine Spectator, May 2013
Pure, rich and persistent, with a vivid core of blackberry, espresso, vanilla bean and dried herb notes. Ends with an elegant aftertaste.
Winemaking
- Winemaker:
- Erin Green
- Alcohol:
- 15.2%
- Harvested:
- October 1 to October 27, 2010
- Bottled:
- April 27, 2012
- Released:
- February 4, 2013
The grape clusters were hand-sorted, and once de-stemmed, the berries were sorted again by hand on the way to tank. After four to five days of pre-fermentation cold maceration in small open-top fermentors, the fruit began 100% native yeast fermentation. Two to three weeks later, the fruit was gently pressed and moved to barrel where it finished primary and secondary fermentations. The wine continued to age in 85% new French oak – a combination of Taransaud and St. Martin barrels – for eighteen months. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered.