Winemaker Notes

Inaugural vintage made with only two of the Bordeaux varietals - 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon. A dark, unctuous wine with plenty of earth, and dark black fruit of cassis, black cherry, dark chocolate and wet tobacco. A beautiful beginning to our first wine of elegant power, luscious tannins supported by firm acid structure and varietal weight. The finish is long and earthy. Held back for a 20-year release date to VIP Mailing List only. 

Climate and Harvest

An early spring, with an early frost followed by unusual heat spikes led to a bit of a roller coaster ride for the 2001 vintage crop. The weather stabilized, condensing the harvest and producing a near simultaneous harvest of grapes. The up and down temperatures began with a cold and harsh March with two deceptive heat spikes into the 80s, which coaxed the vines into a slightly earlier bloom. The hottest May on record and the third hottest June in total degree days, which led to a harvest time around two to three weeks ahead of normal. August cooled to near perfect temperatures with cool nights, allowing the grapes to settle and extend the crucial hang time on the vine, producing remarkably clean fruit.

Yields were small, of dense, intense depths. Having prepared for an unexpected heat wave, we kept the vines from incurring heat stress by individual canopy management and night irrigations. The berries and cluster weights were smaller than usual, producing exquisite flavors.