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The Vineyards
Located in the northern reaches of the Alexander Valley, the Lyon Vineyard, owned by winemaker Mark Lyon, forms the core of this wine, supplying the Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec. The rich soil is a blend of well drained, gravel and sandy loam soils, which controls vigor, water, and nutrient uptake. This vineyard site produces expressive, elegant and intense red wines. The base of the Alexander Valley Merlot is from both the Old Vine Block (planted in 1973) and Clone #3, (planted in 1995). The Cabernet Sauvignon is from both the Lyon Vineyard and the Oliver Vineyard, which is located in Geyserville. The Petite Verdot is sourced from the Rancho Miguel vineyard, nearby Jimtown, for bright, ripe fruit notes. A very small amount of Merlot was from the A. Cuneo Vineyard, located in Carneros was blended in to add a cooler climate flavor profile to the blend.
The Vintage
A cooler-than average early Spring led to a delayed budbreak in 2006. However, a mild, May weather allowed for good fruit set and balanced crop load. Summer weather was mild with average temperatures, with the exception of a heat wave in late July. Still, the degree days were lower than normal, spurring a later veraison start (late July). Merlot loves a cool Fall, which it got with an Indian Summer the 2nd week of October, setting the stage for full ripeness and flavor development. We harvested from October 15 to November 3rd.
Winemaking
We noticed that both the tannin and skin pectin content were high. So, we cold soaked our Bordeaux lots with color enzymes (to break down skin pectin) and a prolonged, 3 to 4 day cold soak. The fermentation went quickly to warm early on, thanks to our new, temperature controlled fermenter thermostats. We then pressed with higher brix levels than in the past and only used free run to again to prevent extracting too much tannins. Therefore, on average only 4 to 6 days of brisk fermentation before pressing. We primarily focused on both the Old Vines and Clone #3 and quickly put those into both new and 1 year old Tonnellerie Saury Chateau French Oak barrels (our core cooper for this program). The Cabernet, Petite Verdot and Malbec also had the same fermentation treatment to minimize tannin extraction. The first assemblage, 70% of the blend happened in early April, with the near final blend completed in August 2007. It was bottled in January, 2008 with 9.5 months of barrel aging in order to trap its delicious, wild berry fruit and enhance aging potential.
Winemaker’s Notes
This Merlot is dark crimson in color with ruby tints. The aromas display more black tea and black cherry, with little herbaceousness . Using 40% New Saury French Oak lends notes of espresso, dark chocolate and cinnamon. The long, even ripening developed Merlot flavors more akin to it’s native home of Pomerol with deep, earthy flavors coupled with black cherry fruit, common with California Merlots. Although more structured than past Merlots, it’s still drinkable thanks to the terroir of Alexander Valley, which showcases more exuberant berry fruits, almost like Zinfandel , yet having elegant, refined tannins. Because it is structured, it is recommended for further aging of 1 to 2 more years.
Appellation: Alexander Valley
Composition: 75.7% Merlot 12% Petite Verdot 6.6% Cabernet Sauvignon 5.7% Malbec
Cooperage: 9.5 months in both new and used French Oak
Alcohol: 14.5% TA at Bottling: 0.50 g/100ml
pH: 3.68
Bottling Date: February 2008
Release Date: August 2008
Located in the northern reaches of the Alexander Valley, the Lyon Vineyard, owned by winemaker Mark Lyon, forms the core of this wine, supplying the Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec. The rich soil is a blend of well drained, gravel and sandy loam soils, which controls vigor, water, and nutrient uptake. This vineyard site produces expressive, elegant and intense red wines. The base of the Alexander Valley Merlot is from both the Old Vine Block (planted in 1973) and Clone #3, (planted in 1995). The Cabernet Sauvignon is from both the Lyon Vineyard and the Oliver Vineyard, which is located in Geyserville. The Petite Verdot is sourced from the Rancho Miguel vineyard, nearby Jimtown, for bright, ripe fruit notes. A very small amount of Merlot was from the A. Cuneo Vineyard, located in Carneros was blended in to add a cooler climate flavor profile to the blend.
The Vintage
A cooler-than average early Spring led to a delayed budbreak in 2006. However, a mild, May weather allowed for good fruit set and balanced crop load. Summer weather was mild with average temperatures, with the exception of a heat wave in late July. Still, the degree days were lower than normal, spurring a later veraison start (late July). Merlot loves a cool Fall, which it got with an Indian Summer the 2nd week of October, setting the stage for full ripeness and flavor development. We harvested from October 15 to November 3rd.
Winemaking
We noticed that both the tannin and skin pectin content were high. So, we cold soaked our Bordeaux lots with color enzymes (to break down skin pectin) and a prolonged, 3 to 4 day cold soak. The fermentation went quickly to warm early on, thanks to our new, temperature controlled fermenter thermostats. We then pressed with higher brix levels than in the past and only used free run to again to prevent extracting too much tannins. Therefore, on average only 4 to 6 days of brisk fermentation before pressing. We primarily focused on both the Old Vines and Clone #3 and quickly put those into both new and 1 year old Tonnellerie Saury Chateau French Oak barrels (our core cooper for this program). The Cabernet, Petite Verdot and Malbec also had the same fermentation treatment to minimize tannin extraction. The first assemblage, 70% of the blend happened in early April, with the near final blend completed in August 2007. It was bottled in January, 2008 with 9.5 months of barrel aging in order to trap its delicious, wild berry fruit and enhance aging potential.
Winemaker’s Notes
This Merlot is dark crimson in color with ruby tints. The aromas display more black tea and black cherry, with little herbaceousness . Using 40% New Saury French Oak lends notes of espresso, dark chocolate and cinnamon. The long, even ripening developed Merlot flavors more akin to it’s native home of Pomerol with deep, earthy flavors coupled with black cherry fruit, common with California Merlots. Although more structured than past Merlots, it’s still drinkable thanks to the terroir of Alexander Valley, which showcases more exuberant berry fruits, almost like Zinfandel , yet having elegant, refined tannins. Because it is structured, it is recommended for further aging of 1 to 2 more years.
Appellation: Alexander Valley
Composition: 75.7% Merlot 12% Petite Verdot 6.6% Cabernet Sauvignon 5.7% Malbec
Cooperage: 9.5 months in both new and used French Oak
Alcohol: 14.5% TA at Bottling: 0.50 g/100ml
pH: 3.68
Bottling Date: February 2008
Release Date: August 2008
