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Tasting Notes
This Reserve wine captivates with the expressive flavors, full-body, and balanced acidity that come from ideal Sonoma Valley conditions. Abundant aromas of dark red fruits and French Roast coffee merge with mocha, plum, and cherry preserve flavors, finishing smooth and spicy.
Vintage Notes
The 2017 growing season started out wet with record-breaking rainfall refreshing our vineyards after several dry years. The mild spring led to a timely bud break and good fruit set, followed by ideal conditions of cool mornings and warm, sunny days throughout the summer months. Our first grapes were harvested and “blessed” on August 25. A few days of intense heat at the beginning of September sped up ripening throughout the region. Well-timed picks during the month meant the majority of the fruit was in by the first week of October.
Vineyard Notes
Our Reserve wine shows off the rich and flavorful fruit grown in Sonoma Valley. This picturesque valley is surrounded by the Sonoma Mountains to the west and the Mayacamas to the east, providing perfect conditions for Merlot. This area’s warm summer days are cooled by evening breezes and fog from the Pacific Ocean, resulting in fruit with deep, complex flavors and aromas. For this wine, we source fruit from the Dinner Vineyard high atop Sonoma Mountain for structured mountain fruit and our Wild Oak Estate Vineyard on the valley floor for fruit with softer flavors and texture.
Winemaker Notes
After hand-sorting, the grapes underwent a two-day cold soak to extract optimal color and flavor. The wine was then aged in 100% French oak barrels, 60% new, where it underwent malolactic fermentation followed by 20 months of aging.
