Winemaker Notes:
For our first
Aglianico I am very pleased. This wine
carries fresh raspberry, strawberry, and cherries along with fresh vanilla
notes. The fresh fruits are wrapped in an
elegant herbal, and fresh cut flower character.
There is a hint of the old-world earthiness that adds a nice layer to
the wine. The finish of the wine has a
bright fresh lemon quality that balances very well with the red fruits. The tannins are well structured the body and
finish of the wine. This wine has some
nice old-world qualities that will pair well with many foods.
Vintage:
Starting with a mild winter we rolled into an early spring. In late March we started seeing temps in the
70’s with just a few cooler days to follow.
The spring conditions led to excellent fruit set and ultimately a
bountiful crop. The summer, for
Virginia, was very mild with only a few days of hot humid conditions. The Autumn was particularly dry with warm
days and cool nights. From mid-September to early October, we experienced very
little rain which is invaluable for maturing grapes. I believe the 2019 vintage to be the best I
have experienced in Virginia for my tenure here.
Blend
100% Aglianico
Harvest
The grapes were harvested on 26 September 2019 at 21.2 Brix,
3.38 pH and 7.68g/L TA.
Vineyard Source:
Amrhein Vineyards, Bent Mountain, VA
Fermentation
The grapes fermented for 5 days in ½ ton macro bins with
RBS133 Yeast
Aging
64% Neutral French oak, 22% 2 year French Oak and 14% 3 year
Hungarian oak.
Bottling Date
23 March 2021 – 209 cases
Release Date
May 2021
Technical
Information
12.0% Alc
3.72 pH
6.96g/L TA
0.09 RS (dry)