2012 Descendants Liegeois Dupont
Tasting notes
Dark purple, almost black color. Aromas of mincemeat, allspice, black berry, black licorice, dried herbs and hints of toast and citrus peel. The entry is full bodied but soft and slightly sweet with flavors of dark fruits, dried herbs, mincemeat and toast. It finishes long with a touch of acid and evident but pleasant tannins. The Syrah from Hedges continues to make interesting and complex wines with a wonderful balance of concentration and immediate drinkability.
Grapes are from Les Gosses Vineyard, which is in the Red Mountain AVA, and has both the Joseph Phelps and Tablas Creek clones. The wine was destemmed and partially crushed into stainless steel fermenters where it was pumped over twice daily until desired tannin extraction was achieved. It was then pressed to barrels where it underwent malo-lactic fermentation, then racked off lees and 100% barrel aged for 14 months in 30% new American and French oak.
Harvest Notes: 2012 was another excellent and more normal vintage in Washington State, a welcome change after the cooler and wetter 2010 and 2011 vintages. The “fading” La Nina current brought warmer and more even spring and summer temperatures and an extended warm, dry autumn with perfect 80 to 85 Fahrenheit afternoon highs and 40 to 50 Fahrenheit lows without rain. The result was great set that yielded ripe, disease free fruit with good natural acidity. The resulting wines reflect the excellent qualities of the fruit and are a pleasure to drink. Probably one of the top 5 vintages I’ve been associated with in Washington State.
| Vintage | 2012 |
| Varietal | Syrah |
| Varietal Composition | 100% Syrah |
| Appellation | Red Mountain |
| Vineyard | 100% Les Gosses |
| Acid | 5.1 g/L |
| PH | 3.80 |
| Alcohol | 14.10% |
| Volume | 750 ml |
| Bottling Date | 01/13/2014 |
