2018 Living in the Limelight
Winemaker Notes: Quintessential petit verdot! Glass staining, saturated dark purple color with intense notes of ripe huckleberry, blueberry, cassis, menthol, clove, and smoldering incense. On the palate, high intensity flavors of huckleberry, cassis, tobacco, licorice, gravel, and dark chocolate. Nuances of dark chocolate, vanilla, tobacco, and tar resonate on the long finish. High glycerol and high levels of dry extract with ripe, luscious tannins and vibrant acidity. With a proper decant, this wine can be enjoyed in the next year or two. It should reach optimal maturity in 6-8 years and hold for 12+ years.
Fermentation: The wine had a pre-fermentation maceration of 145 hours and was punched down by hand 3 times each day during macerations and fermentation. All individual wine components, including free run and press fractions, were kept separate until final blending.
Cooperage: The oak profile is 35% new French oak (predominantly from Troncais and Alliers) and 65% neutral French oak. The wine achieved its sparkly brilliance from 3 judicious rackings, no fining agents were employed. The wine was very gently filtered using crossflow filtration.
