Color: Bright garnet with ruby tint clarity and brilliance.
Aroma: Blackberry, blueberry, strawberry currant, dried floral and dark chocolate.
Mouthfeel: Round, rich, and silky. Dark cherry, blackberry, spice and cocoa bean, with balanced acidity, bright velvety tannins and a long silky finish.
Technical Notes
Final Analysis:13.1% alcohol, TA 0.53g/100ml, pH 3.56.
Production: 15,100 cases
Suggested Retail Price: $26/750ml
Vineyard Source: 62% estate grown (certified organic), 38% from seven contract growers within the Willamette Valley.
Fermentation: Assmanhausen, RC212 & D254 yeasts, plus a small amount of native yeast used. 100% stainless steel, temperature controlled tank fermentation in removable top fermenters. Punch down two to three times per day.
Aging: 10-12 months in French oak barrels: 26% new barrels, 25% one year old barrels, 24% two year old barrels, 25% three year old barrels. Cooperage predominately from François Freres, Dargaud & Jaegle, Rousseau, Claude Gillet, and Seguin Moreau. Light and medium toasted staves.
Growing Season: 2004 was an unprecedented seventh vintage in a row where grapes reached full maturity through the temperate summer weather, and the winter rains held off until after the harvest was completed.
Spring conditions, always critical in fruit ‘set’ and development, were warm and dry. After installing 15 frost protection fans in fall of 2003, we were prepared for the worse, but received the best – mixed heat, dryness and some mild, controllable frost.
The summer season was relatively normal, with warm and dry weather. We experienced one heat-wave period with temperatures above 100 degrees, which resulted in limited sunburn on the berry skins. We eventually crop thinned these clusters – thus lowering the harvest volume, but increasing the quality.
