Winemaker Notes
From its layered aromatics to its lush palate of flavors, this wine brings together an array of red and black fruit elements, including red currant, baked plum, blackberry and sweet black cherry. Adding further depth to this core of ripe fruit are notes of vanilla, molasses, allspice, fresh herbs and black olive.
Production
The 2005 season began with a wet winter and spring, which led to annual rainfall totals that were well above average. We had an ideal fruit set, which produced an abundant number of full grape clusters. As a result, the vintage yielded exceptional fruit for the season. The harvest lasted over two months—into the early days of November. In many ways the 2005 season was reminiscent of the excellent 1997 vintage, which offered an abundant harvest of remarkable quality.