Winemaker's Notes
The low yields of this small block of vineyard made it impossible to satisfy the futures orders we normally have. We always offer a little less as futures than we really expect to bottle, for obvious reasons. If you missed out on the futures, there may actually be a few bottles available after bottling (shortly after this newsletter comes out). While it still has the signature ‘stone fruit thing,’ this Shale Terrace bottling is a bit more ‘serious’ than usual. The 1996 and 1997 vintages had a slight mouth-watering rhubarb-thing that is echoed here. 100 cases (hopefully) produced.
Judi Scherrer –
California Grapevine – May 2010
Medium ruby; attractive, briary, peppery, sweet red berry fruit aroma with floral notes hinting of juniper; full body; forward, rich, plush, peppery, briary, red berry fruit flavors with pleasing mouth feel; medium-full to full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Highly recommended. My score 88. Nick Ponomareff