Harvest Date October 6 – October 20
Growing Season 2006 was slightly cooler overall than 2005 and began with delayed bud break due to long, wet spring. The weather warmed in May, continuing through summer and into fall to provide the extended growing season needed for fruit to ripen fully. Harvest began late but was accelerated by mid-harvest rains in early October. A quick response and careful hand-harvesting allowed us to keep quality high and yields low.
Winemaking
• Hand-harvested grapes
• Fermented in small, open-top stainless steel fermentors with indigenous yeasts
• 5 days cold soak, 15 to18 day total maceration
• Spontaneous malolactic fermentation in barrels; 3 months to completion
• Aged 10 months in small French oak barrels; 56% new
• Unfined and unfiltered; bottled August 2007