Striking deep dark garnet color. Black pepper, blackberry, dark cocoa powder and a nice hint of earthy vanilla bean an toasted marshmallow on the finish. A touch of acid on the entry leads into an explosion of blackberry fruit, dark chocolate and a dusting of sweet cinnamon and vanilla. The tannins are soft but with enough grip to last until a pleasant juicy finish that begs for another sip.
Grapes are from Hedges Vineyard. The wine was destemmed and partially crushed into bins where it punched down three times 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 9 months in 67% neutral American and 33% neutral 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.
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