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The Vintage: The 2008 growing season found growers dealing with a warm – early spring followed by a hot and very dry summer. This was a very good vintage with fruit being harvested fully ripened with excellent flavors and aromas. The harvest numbers for the Merlot were; Jones Vineyard: Brix 24.5, Acidity 5.5g/liter and pH: 3.35, DuLia Merlot: Brix 27.4, Acidity 5.4g/liter and pH 3.55. The Cabernet Sauvignon numbers were; Brix 24.3, Acidity 7.1g/liter and pH 3.30. The Cabernet Franc fruit had a Brix of 24.5, Acidity of 6.3g/liter and a pH of 3.17.
The Grape Growing: Merlot for this wine was harvested from two southern vineyards. The Jones vineyard is located in the south facing Wahluke Slope appellation. This area’s terrior is the result of the basalt flows circa 20 million years prior and the mammoth flood which took place approximately 10,000 years ago which originated in Montana. The second site was the DuLia Vineyard located in the Lake Chelan appellation. This sites terrior is the result of 10,000 year old glacial deposits, south facing slope, proximity to Lake Chelan and an elevation of 1,100 feet above sea level. The DuLia site also supplied the Cabernet Franc grapes. The renowned Rivers Bend vineyard is the source for the Cabernet Sauvignon which was blended into the Merlot. Located just west of the Yakima Valley appellation town of Benton City the Rivers Bend vineyard is one of the oldest continuously operated sites in eastern Washington State. Known for producing glorious Cabernet Sauvignon wines this site slopes due south. The soil is a stingy 18” – 24” above fractured basalt and bedrock.
The Winemaking: All grapes were as usual hand picked and sorted in the vineyard. Upon arrival at the winery, my crew and I set to sorting the fruit once again to ensure only the best clusters were destemmed and crushed into the fermentation tank. The yeast strain Pasteur Red was used to conduct the primary fermentation on the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. New and used French, Hungarian and American oak barrels were selected to age the wine in for 23 months. The wine completed malo – lactic fermentation in barrel. The final blend is 76% Merlot,17% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Cabernet Franc. A tight filtration was conducted at bottling.
The Wine: Beautiful purple - red color hints at the depth this wine possesses. Delicious oak and vanilla bean notes wrap around a juicy center of black cherry, red raspberries, chocolate and coffee flavors. The tannins are fine grained yet are still present enough to provide decent aging potential. This is a wine which requires a half hour of breathing time between opening and enjoying. The fare couples very will with a thick beef steak, duck served with a black fruit sauce or grilled salmon. If these are not an option, a large empty glass would more than suffice.
% Alcohol: 14.1%
pH: 3.40
Acidity: 5.8g/liter
Residual Sugar: 0.5g/liter
Cases Produced: 480
Blend: 76% Merlot, 17% Estate Rivers Bend Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% DuLia Cabernet Franc
Cellar Potential: 2013 - 2018
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