The fruit was hand sorted, destemmed with the high whole berry content.  It was cold soaked for 4 days before being inoculated and fermented for 11 days with the maximum temperature of 88 degrees and then put through extended maceration for another three weeks.  The malolactic fermentation took place in the barrel. The wines were racked 5 times before being bottled in June 2008.

Sweet aromas of cassis, ripe cherry and tobacco lie beneath the toasty oak and vanilla on the nose.  Its viscosity and density that can only come from low yields shows flavors of intense complexity at a young age.  The synergistic elements of sweet oak, cedar, ripe black cherry are wrapped by velvety oak that lead to a long, integrated finish.  With aeration of an hour or two, the layers of flavors reveal themselves but who has time for patience when it is showing so well now?