This beautifully robust and layered wine displays a deep plum color and alluring aromas of plum, dried cranberry, and Carneros’s signature earth and spice notes. Bold and impeccably structured with firm tannins framing layers of berry bramble, black pepper, chocolate, and allspice that build to a luxurious finish.
The fruit was gently destemmed into small open-top fermenters using state-of-the-art equipment and procedures to avoid any pumping of the must. Inoculation with select yeast strains followed a three-day cold soak, and the caps were managed with a combination of pump-overs and punch-downs. After 10 months of aging exclusively in French oak barrels, of which 38% were new, we bottled on August, 2nd, 2023.
The 2022 vintage was impacted by a third consecutive year of drought that resulted in a reduction in yields from 10-30%. The growing season was temperate, keeping us on track or ahead of normal growth. Then we saw some heat spikes that prompted our first picks. We hand-harvested the grapes in the cool evening hours of September 8th, 2022.
Huichica Hills is a unique vineyard located in the Carneros AVA that is planted across both Sonoma and Napa Counties, with 140 acres on the Sonoma County side where our block is located. It is an expansive and extremely contoured vineyard. The cool winds from the Pacific Ocean sweep across the rolling hills of this vineyard, shaping the vibrant character of its wines.