Production Notes
Varietal Content: 91% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 0.5% Cabernet Franc, 0.5% Petit Verdot; Cooperage: 100% French oak château-style barrels (60 Gallons); Age of Barrels: 100% New
Winemaker Notes
Featuring extracted aromas of dark chocolate, mulled fruit and spice, this robust wine also offers savory hints of porcini and soy. On the palate, mouth-filling flavors of blackberry, black currant, mocha and menthol are accentuated by hints of lavender, graphite, herbs and sweet oak.
Production
The 2004 season began with an early bud break and flowering that led naturally to an early harvest. We began picking grapes the second week of August, but then experienced a cooling trend that allowed additional hang time for many of the later red varieties. This slow and steady period of ripening ended just after Labor Day when we welcomed a heat wave that accelerated harvest to an early finish.