Winemaker Notes:
A sophisticated wine offering a myriad of strawberry,
raspberry, blackberry along with some bright notes of cherry and
cranberry. The red fruits are
accentuated by some darker aged fruits and a touch of forest floor, truffle, fresh
mushrooms and cocoa. On the back side is
a pleasing essence of sassafras. The oak
is well integrated with the fruit and acidity.
The tannins have a nice chalky character yet are very approachable. This is reminiscent of an old world wine
which will pair well with many foods.
Vintage:
The 2015 vintage had some scary moments but ultimately we
came through unscathed. Some low temps
in early Spring had us all concerned about frost. Additionally we also saw some heavy rains in
the early spring keeping the viticulture team on their toes. The summer came on with little rain and
average temperatures for the state. The
rain then came back with a vengeance in late September to early October. Overall though the growing season was long
and did allow for good ripening.
Determining the best day to pick was the key to success. I think we will see some good wines from Virginia
vineyards for 2015
Blend
59% Cabernet Franc, 15% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10%
Petit Verdot, 4% Malbec
Harvest
The Cabernet Franc from Wessex was harvested on 19
September at 23.0 brix, 3.87 pH and .399g/L TA.
The Winchester
cabernet franc was harvested on 21 October at 24.3 Brix, 3.76 pH and .533g/L
TA. The Crozet cabernet franc was
harvested on 24 September at 22.1 brix, 3.61 pH and .775g/L TA. The Wessex merlot was harvested on 04
September at 22.8 brix, 3.87 pH and .373g/L TA.
The Crozet merlot was harvested on 17 September at 22.9 brix, 3.89 pH
and .467g/L TA. The Cabernet Sauvignon was harvested on 12 October at 21.7
brix, 3.69 pH and .678g/L TA. The Wessex
Petit Verdot was harvested on 08 September at 24.9 brix, 3.47 pH and .626g/L
TA. The Crozet petit verdot was
harvested on 02 October at 20.0 brix, 3.59 pH and .950g/L TA. The malbec was harvested on 17 September at
21.0 brix, 3.70 pH and .724g/L TA.
Vineyard Source:
Williamsburg,
VA - 44%
Winchester,
VA – 23%
Crozet, VA – 21%
Charlottesville,
VA – 12%
Fermentation
The Wessex
cabernet franc was cold soaked for 5 days then fermented with D254 Yeast for 6
days. The Cabernet Franc from Winchester was fermented
with Syrah Yeast for 7 days. The Crozet
Cabernet Franc was cold soaked for 6 days then fermented for 5 days with RP15
Yeast.The Wessex Merlot was cold soaked for 11 dyas then fermented with Cepage
Merlot Yeast for 7 days.The Crozet Merlot was cold soaked for 7 days then
fermented with D80 Yeast for 5 days. The
cabernet sauvignon was fermented with D254 Yeast for 7 days. The Wessex Petit Verdot was cold soaked for 7
days then fermented with D254 Yeast for 7 days.
The Crozet Petit Verdot was cold soaked for 3 days then fermented with
D254 Yeast for 5 days. The malbec was cold soaked for 12 days then fermented
with D254 Yeast for 6 days.
Aging
The wine was aged for 12 months in French, Hungarian and
American oak, then an additional 14 months in Neutral French oak
Bottling Date
24 January 2018 – 126 cs
Release Date
Technical
Information
12.08% Alc.
3.69 pH
0.570g/L TA
0.32 RS (Dry)