Winemaker Notes:
Initially the wine shows a blend of blackberry, blueberry,
raspberry, strawberry and dark cherry.
Then there are some lovely herbal notes with tea, fennel and olives with
nuances of cocoa and vanilla. There is
additionally a nice earthiness with some suede/leather and a bit of limestone
to give it a mineral character. The
tannins are smooth and approachable and the oak is well integrated with the
fruit. The finish is long and bright
with the berries showing well.
Vintage:
The 2013 vintage will be remembered for a cool, dry stretch
leading up to harvest which led to the best overall quality since 2010.
The summer began with the wettest June on record but by August the rains
had stopped and the humidity dropped off. This resulted in balanced, ripe
fruit with concentrated flavors although yields were low, especially for the
whites. Vintage rating: Very Good.
Blend
36% Cabernet Franc, 36% Petit Verdot, 28% Merlot
Harvest
The Cabernet Franc from Wessex Hundred was harvested on 4
Oct 2013 at 23.3 brix, 3.98 pH and .626g/L TA.
The Cabernet Franc from Benevino Vineyards was harvested on 22 Oct 2013
at 24.4 brix, 3.74 pH and .666g/L TA. The Petit Verdot from Wessex Hundred was
harvested on 15 Oct 2013 at 24.5 brix, .687g/L TA, and 3.55 pH. The Merlot from Wessex Hundred was harvested
on 1 October at 21.9 brix, 3.97 pH and .458g/L TA. The Summer Wind field blend
was picked on 9/30/2013 at 20.6 Brix, 6.65 g/L TA, and 3.74 pH. The field blend included petit verdot, merlot
and cabernet franc.
Vineyard Source:
Wessex
Hundred, Williamsburg, VA – 77%
Benevino Vineyards, Winchester,
VA – 14%
Summer Wind Vineyards, Smithfield,
VA – 9%
Fermentation
The Cabernet Franc from Wessex was cold soaked for 11 days
and then fermented in ½ ton bins for 8 days with CSM yeast. The Cabernet Franc from Benevino Vineyards
was fermented in stainless steel for 13 days with D254 Yeast. The Petit Verdot from Wessex was cold
soaked for 10 days and then fermented in stainless steel for approximately 8
days with D254 yeast. The Wessex Merlot was split into two tanks and fermented
with D254 and D21 Yeast for approximately 1 week. This Summer Wind field blend
of Petit Verdot, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc was fermented in ½ ton bins for 10
days with D80 yeast.
Aging
The Claret was aged in 23% New American oak, 9% 3 year
American oak, 5% New French oak, 9% 3 year French oak, 14% 4 year French oak,
9% New Hungarian oak, 4% 4 year Hungarian oak, and 27% neutral barrels.
Bottling Date
2 June 2015 – 533 cases
Release Date
July 2015
Technical
Information
12.16% Alc.
3.97 pH
0.524g/L TA
0.40 RS (dry)
