A proprietor's blend of 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Syrah. Bright Red! Bouquet of canberries and a fresh-baked plum tarte. Fresh on the palate with tart pie cherries, raspberry, and cranberry nuances. Nice, summery finish. Lovely with shish-kabobs or satay!
The grapes were picked by hand in multiple lots, destemmed, and fermented in small lots with hand punch down four times a day. After pressing, the wines went through malolactic fermentation and 11 months of barrel aging. The wine was blended in the sping of 2006.
Cabernet Franc - Our five acres of Cabernet Franc vines date back to the original stock brought to our “Chaine d’Or”
Syrah - Four acres of Syrah cuttings from nearby Maridon Vineyards planted in our Finley Vineyard in 1999. Finely, named after early settlers, is a 7-acre vineyard in the estern slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The unirrigated, south-facing vineyard is on a knoll with soils that change from gravel to shallow clay as the vineyard descends from 800 to 750 feet.
The 2005 growing season was wetter than normal by 23%, with 36 inches total rain: 24" in November and December, plus less than 4" in January and February, led into an early spring and budbreak. A cold and wet April, however, delayed fruitset. Summer was nice enough, followed by a hot spell in September; we began harvest mid-month.