Wine Profile
Vineyard Notes
Monitor Ledge Vineyard
Production Notes
Varietal Content
80% Petit Verdot, 13% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon
Cooperage
100% French oak, Chateau-style barrels (60 gallons)
Barrel Aging: 18 months
Age of Barrels: 97% new, 3% second vintage
Winemaker Notes
Our warmer Monitor Ledge Vineyard is perfect for achieving ideal development in the late-ripening Petit Verdot grape. The 2009 vintage begins with pure, concentrated aromas of blackberry, cedar, coffee and eucalyptus. These elements continue on the palate, where dense, yet fully ripe tannins add to the wine’s juicy mouthfeel and rich finish.
Production
From our first Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc blocks to our final red-varietal Estate picks, our 2009 harvest spanned more than two months. Though the 2009 growing season presented certain challenges—from early shatter to late-season rain—a thoughtful response in the vineyards yielded smaller-than-normal crops of high-quality fruit. This response included aggressive leafing, an early thinning protocol and a heavy field sort to select only the most desirable grapes.
Other Notes
Release Date: September 2012