Winemaker Notes

An aromatic depth of dense blackberry, cassis, spice and cocoa bean is intertwined with complex notes of graphite, earth and leather. As our wines tend to, this wine suggests old world complexity blessed with new world abundance. It is both delicate and powerful with a brightness on the palate that balances the soft, supple powerful tannins we achieve from our land and the weight of a ripened Cabernet. An elegantly complex, supple and evocative wine. Seductive blackberry, wet tobacco, cassis, spice notes and a long, extended velvet finish.

Climate and Harvest

The 2013 began as a warm, dry and earliest growing season on record. Mild Spring temperatures from February into March enticed early bud break. Bloom set occurred a three weeks earlier due to the warm and mild spring with no frost. Summer temperatures were very moderate with long days of sunshine with few heat spikes; foggy morning prevailed through summer. After the long, warm summer, the fruit ripened evenly during the long temperate weather. Ideal conditions. The 2013 is a stunning vintage and our highest-quality, highest-yielding vintage to date next to the 2012.

Harvest began in early October with each cluster hand-harvested and hand-selected over 15-days. Initial cold soak was 7 days then into a slow natural fermentation. Duration of fermentations lasted 12 days on average. Punch downs 3-4 times a day depending on the texture development during the fermentations. Each lot (clones & varietal) individually fermented and barreled down. Our Tesserae is introduced one month prior to bottling - barrel by barrel. 22 months of elevage, with no rackings. Cellar aged for 5 years upon release.