Winemaker's Notes
Black cherry and chocolate aromas mingled with hints of sandalwood, tobacco, and graphite. In the mouth the wine opens with rich dark cherry and licorice flavors that flow evenly across the palate. It is a well-balanced wine, with good structure, and grippy tannins. Alcohol 14.3%
Vineyard
Owner/Manager
Beckstoffer Oakville Vineyard : Andy Beckstoffer Hyde-South Vineyard : Hyde Family
Beckstoffer ? Well-drained, lightly colored gravelly soils with high mineral, low organic content situated on the Oakville bench. / Hyde - Hillside, alluvial sandy-clay loam, east, southeast exposure.
Harvest
Harvest Date
Beckstoffer-October 23 /Hyde-October 30
Harvest Brix
Beckstoffer-25.9° /Hyde-24.6°
Growing Season
A cool, damp, spring delayed the start of the growing season, and contributed to a small crop yield. An extended, warm Indian Summer allowed the fruit to reach maturity with rich, complex flavors.
Winemaking
Hand-harvested grapes
Fermented in open-top stainless steel fermentors
4-5-day cold maceration, 21 days total maceration
Fermentation with indigenous yeast
Malolactic fermentation in barrels
Aged 19-months in Demptos and Taransaud French oak barrels, 50% new
