Our appellation designate wines are carefully crafted blends from
our very finest vineyard properties. Through clonal and geographic
diversity, Gary Farrell combines the nuances from multiple cuvees,
creating levels of intrigue and complexity not typically obtainable
from any single vineyard source. Always among our finest and
favorite releases, this wine also benefited from the cool and
steady growing season of 2008.
VINTAGE
SUMMARY
2008 was a tremendous vintage for producers favoring finesse and
elegance in their wines. As you may recall, 2007 provided very
bright, but highly extracted, dense wines from our region. While
many enjoy this style, it is not the style of winemaking I have
embraced during my career. Rather, I prefer more subtlety in my
wines; with greater focus on purity of fruit, acute balance and
elegance than density or power. Thankfully, 2008 provided ideal
fruit composition for crafting wines of this style.
WINEMAKER
NOTES
Our appellation blends are nearly always among our most exciting
and alluring wines. They combine complementing cuvees crafted from
our finest vineyards to create amazingly complex and complete
wines. Consider this wine benefits from the brightness of the Allen
Dijon clones, the depth of the Rochioli Pommard and richness of
Hallberg Cruz clone; creating a symphony of flavors, texture and
intrigue. We are pleased by the tremendous generosity of this
wine…without excessive weight, density or extract. Delicious,
bright, juicy and satisfying; a wine we are confident will be
enjoyed and greatly appreciated by our customers.
Gary Farrell, winemaker
CELLAR
NOTES
Vineyards and Clones
Rochioli Vineyard: Pommard clone 4
Allen Vineyard: Dijon clone 777
Starr Ridge Vineyard: Dijon clones 115, 777
Floodgate RRV Vineyard: Martini and Dijon clones
Hallberg Vineyard: Cruz Clone
Harvest Information
Harvest dates: 8/23 – 9/6
Hand harvested at night under lights
Hand sorted in vineyard
Average brix: 24.3 degrees
Grape Processing
Cold fruit processed early AM
Hand sorted prior to stem removal
Hand sorted after stem removal
Fermentation
Tanks: Small open tops
Cold soak: 3-5 days
Yeast: Combination Wild and cultured
Mixing: 3 punch downs daily
Duration: 9-11 days
Barrel Program
ML fermentation in barrel
100% French oak
40% new (Francois Freres, Rousseau)
60% one and two year old
10 months in barrel
Finished Wine
Alcohol: 14.1% by volume
Titratable acidity: 6.7 gm/L
pH: 3.42
Bottling date: July 24, 2009
Production: 1,536 cases (9 liter equivalent)
