Tasting notes: A gorgeous garnet greets you in the glass and offers aromas of raspberries, cranberries and pomegranate. Tart cherry, berries, and pomegranate dance across the palate laced with allspice, cloves, cardamom and a hint of earthiness easing into a nice, natural finish!
Harvest and cellaring: The grapes were picked by hand in small lots for ideal ripeness and aged in French oak barrels for 10 months. 424 cases were bottled in July 2008.
The 2007 growing season started wet, with 5+ inches each in December and February, but that was it: we only had 1.5 inches of spring rains plus a tad here and there for a total of 14.85 inches - only 50% of average annual rainfall. Spring was warmer than usual, with March highs at 7° above normal for the month. This continued all spring with above average temperatures in the 70’s gradually climbing into the low 80’s. With the exception of a brief spike in August, summer temperatures were a degree cooler than average. This made for a fairly evem growing season with good hang time for ripening. Drought conditions forced a lower yield, but the fruit was lovely.