2017 Trianon
Winemaker Notes:
This is a beautifully
balanced cabernet franc with all the upfront fruit qualities and earthy
characters one would expect. The fruit
has some lovely berry notes with some red and black cherry, along with some
elegant dark fruits and a touch of spice and herbal notes giving the wine just a
touch of a floral tinge. The fruit and
oak compliment the earthiness of the wine offering many layers and
complexities. The tannins are well
integrated and offer a wonderful finish to the wine. There is a lot in this wine without any one
component overwhelming the rest. This Trianon
will age gracefully over the next decade or could be enjoyed now; but you may
want to decant.
Vintage:
A mild winter and a warmer Spring were the perfect
conditions for an early bud break. The
Summer months were a bit warmer, approximately 5 degrees on average, and not as
much rain also helped to create a great vintage with an abundance of
grapes. The humidity seemed to be a bit
less as well helping to create very good growing conditions. In the Fall we did not see too much rain and
the weather was very mild to warm.
Overall 2017 was the best vintage I have experienced in Virginia
Blend:
77% Cabernet Franc, 23% Petit Verdot
Harvest:
The Mt. Juliet Cabernet Franc was harvested on 29 September
at 23.6 brix, 4.01 pH and 3.94g/L TA.
The Bent Mountain Cabernet Franc was harvested on 27 September at 24.5
brix, 3.48 pH and 6.79g/L TA. The Wessex
Hundred Cabernet Franc was harvested on 23 September 2017 at 22.8 brix, 3.84 pH
and 3.93g/L TA. The Mount Fair Petit
Verdot was harvested on 27 September 2019 at 25.2 brix, 3.60 pH and 6.87g/L TA. The Wessex Hundred Petit Verdot was harvested
on 5 September 2017 at 23.3 brix, 3.57 pH and 5.69 g/L TA.
Vineyard Source:
Mt. Juliet, Crozet,
VA – 40% Cabernet Franc
Bent Mountain, VA –
23% Cabernet Franc
Wessex Hundred,
Williamsburg, VA – 21% (14% Cabernet Franc & 7% Petit Verdot)
Mount Fair, Crozet,
VA – 16% Petit Verdot
Fermentation:
The Mt. Juliet Cabernet Franc fermented for 8 days in
stainless steel with CSM Yeast. The Bent
Mt. Cabernet Franc was fermented in stainless steel for 6 days with VRB
Yeast. The Wessex Hundred Cabernet Franc
was cold soaked for 5 days then fermented in stainless steel for 5 days with
Ferm A33 Yeast. The Petit Verdot from Mount Fair was fermented in ½
ton macro bins for 6 days with D254 Yeast. The Wessex Hundred Petit
Verdot was cold soaked for 3 days then fermented in stainless steel for 7 days
with D254 Yeast.
Aging:
13% new French oak, 10% 1-year American oak, 57% 2- year French
oak, 20% 3-year French oak.
Bottling Date:
07 August 2019 – 720 cases
Release Date:
October 2019
Technical
Information:
Alc. – 12.9%
pH – 3.69
TA – 6.15g/L
RS – 0.35 Dry
