2008 Spring Releases

2005 Syrah

BLEND & GRAPE SOURCE: 100% Napa Valley Syrah.

WINEMAKER'S NOTES: Grapes were harvested
October 17, 2005 at an average 26.0° Brix, fermented
in stainless steel tanks, then aged 20 months in a combination of new French oak barrels (40%) and
one to two-year-old French oak (60%) from coopers Francois Frères, Marcel Cadet, Ermitage, Saury, Rousseau and Meyrieux. The wine was blended and bottled in August, 2007.

Elegant notes of coffee, bacon fat, licorice and white pepper mold the aromatics of the 2005 Syrah. The longer growing season produced balanced black fruit characteristics combined with dried floral notes and complex flavors that contribute to its opulence and length.

VINTAGE NOTES: The 2005 vintage was unusually late due to mild temperatures during the growing season that averaged between 70-80°. From August 1 to October 31, only 15 days exceeded 90°, and even then it never got hotter than 98°. Despite this, color, flavor and sugars developed early on, though acids took longer to develop in the ripening fruit.

The vintage was also characterized by high yields. A wet spring increased tonnage by an average of 30% over expectations, and, depending on vineyard and crop balance, there will be variability in fruit quality throughout the North Coast. However we were extremely fortunate that the weather stayed dry and mild as long as it did, allowing fruit to avoid dehydration from conditions that were too warm, and mildew from weather that was too wet.

Click here to read more.

2007 Eisrébe

BLEND & GRAPE SOURCES: 100% Scheurebe from our home ranch in Spring Valley outside of St. Helena.

WINEMAKER'S NOTES: Grapes were harvested September 6, 2007 at an average 23.3° Brix, then
frozen to minus 5°F and subsequently pressed, after which the sugar content of the juice measured 34.9° Brix. The wine was fermented in stainless steel tanks to 21% residual sugar and 7.8% alcohol and bottled in December, 2007.

These estate-grown grapes come from two small vineyards on our
St. Helena ranch - one planted in 1992 and one in 2004. The wine is laced with honeyed peach and apricot aromas followed by a lengthy, juicy, seductive finish with bright acidity.

VINTAGE NOTES: Low rainfall from January through March was followed by early budbreak and near-perfect weather throughout the bloom period, ensuring good berry set on all varieties. Summer temperatures were cool and consistent until late August/early September when four days rose above 100°. Irrigation strategies and canopy management became key factors in developing fruit quality. Two inches of rain fell between October 9-15th, and though we were still harvesting fruit, overall quality was good and some of the later harvested blocks were among the best of the vintage.

In general, vines matured faster than normal in 2007-perhaps due to low rainfall during the winter-causing an abbreviated veraison-to-harvest period. Yields were down about 20%.

Click here to read more.