Harvest Date September 24 - October 2

Growing Season 2008 began with an exceptionally dry spring and early bud break. Frosts in April significantly lowered cluster counts. Weather stabilized and warmed through summer, with warmer temperatures continuing through harvest. A smaller crop of high quality fruit was able to ripen fully and evenly, developing an excellent balance of sugars and acid. Overall, the 2008 wines are bright and expressive with well-articulated flavors.

Winemaking

• Hand-harvested grapes
• Fermented in small, open-top stainless steel fermentors with indigenous yeasts
• 5-day cold soak, 15 days total maceration
• Hand-punched cap
• Native malolactic fermentation in barrels
• Aged 16 months in Seguin Moreau and Francois Frères French oak barrels; 68% new
• Unblended, unfined and unfiltered; bottled January 2010