Vintage: After a second record-dry winter in a row, bud break came early in 2021. During the spring, drought-stricken vines struggled to grow, setting a very light crop with small clusters and berries. Yields were down nearly 50%. Moderate conditions throughout the summer allowed this fruit to easily ripen. As expected, the wines of 2021 are intense, austere, and concentrated.
Vineyard: In 2000, one acre of Petit Verdot was planted in an isolated valley on the Truchard Estate Vineyard. The vines grow in a light sandstone soil on a steep hillside. In the cooler Carneros climate these grapes ripen slowly, allowing for maximum flavor development.
Harvest: November 5th • 24.4 ºBrix • 3.45 pH • 6.5 g/L TA
Winemaking: All of the fruit was gently destemmed and crushed into open top fermenters, then inoculated with Pasteur Red yeast. The fermentation was punched down twice daily, with the temperature peaking at 90º F. The wine was pressed after 14 days of maceration and aged for 20 months in French oak barrels (40% new). Rackings occurred every 4 months until bottling in August of 2023. This wine is drinkable now, but will gracefully age over the next 7 – 10 years.
Wine Anaylsis: 14.2% alcohol • 3.50 pH • 6.1 g/L TA
Tasting Notes: Delicate aromas of violets and blueberries; combined with cedar, earth, and vanilla. The mouth has bright flavors of ripe plum, cherry, and cranberry. Silky tannins fill the palate and provide a lingering finish of fruit, mineral, and spice.
Release Date: March 1, 2024
Cases Produced: 168 cases
