This wine pours a clear garnet into the glass. The bouquet of bight raspberry and pomegranate leads into those flavors on the palate, joined by tart cherry and brown spices, notably allspice, mace, and cardamom. Drifts along with a soft, easy finish. Nice with poultry in berry sauces, pork, and lamb.
The grapes were picked by hand, destemmed, and fermented in a small lot temperature-controlled stainless steel fermentor with hand punch or pumpover down four times a day. After pressing, the wine went through malolactic fermentation and 11 months of barrel aging. 502 cases were bottled in July 2007.
Our five acres of Cabernet Franc vines date back to the original stock brought to our “Chaine d’Or” region by French settler and grape expert Pierre C. Pourroy around the turn of the century. The Pourroy property became Congress Springs Winery, as it was known until recent changes of ownership. Our vines were planted in 1985 with cuttings from Congress Springs on west-facing slopes at the western edge of our property.
The rainfall for 2005-2006 was 38.9 inches, about 34% above average. Early rain in November and December gave the plants a good start for wintering. Had a cold spell in mid-February, but the Viognier was fine. Heavy March rains continued into April, giving the vineyard a good watering up to middle spring. A 100+ heat spell in early July followed by a cooler than average summer ensured fruit ripening and long hang time before harvest.