The high elevation of this vineyard (2000 feet in “coastal” west Sonoma County) gives it an elegant flavor profile, a bit similar to our wines from the Rockpile AVA. The vineyard faces several sheer granite rock outcroppings called The Devil’s Ribs, which absorb all the sun’s heat all day long and radiate it back slowly all night, allowing the fruit to get more evenly ripe earlier in the harvest season. It is graciously styled with black cherry-cassis fruit and a nice hint of tobacco and cedar-spice, with a long smooth finish.
Winemaker Notes:
Dark red in color. Black cherry-cola and cassis fruit, long and deep on the nose and palate. Cedary oak spice and warm pipe tobacco aromas, dark chocolate, vanilla at finish, smoothly structured tannins.
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Harvest Date:
- October 2, 2012
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Fermentation Characteristics:
- 25 days total on skins, including 3-day cold soak and 7 days extended maceration - Fermented in 0.8-ton T-bins (3 yeasts) & punched down by hand 2-3 times/day
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Cellar Storage/Aging:
- 20 months in barrels: 100% French oak, 75% new
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Appellation:
- Sonoma Coast/Cazadero, Sonoma County
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Release Date:
- December 1, 2014
