Harvest Date September 29 & October 1

Growing Season The long, cool La Niña summer of 1999 promoted excellent flavor retention in the grapes, with high acidity and low pH. The warm Indian summer weather in October fully ripened the fruit to produce some of the best wines of the decade to reach maturity with rich, complex flavors.

Winemaking

• Hand harvested grapes
• Fermented in small 4 ton open-top stainless steel fermentors
• 4-5 day cold soak, 22 days total extended maceration
• Cap hand punched
• Fermentation by indigenous yeasts only
• Native malolactic fermentation in barrels
• Aged 11 months in small French oak barrels, 42% new
• Bottled unfined, unfiltered August, 2000