Inspiration
Our
proprietary red wine blend pays tribute to America’s great music genre, the
Blues. Traditionally, we’ve changed the label art every other year, but this
year we’re revisiting one of our favorite Blues Cuvée labels created by artist
Trent Call for the 2007-2008 vintages.
The Harvest
Mild
temperatures during 2018’s growing season pushed back harvest dates. The
harvest of the Bordeaux varietals began on October 30th and
concluded on November 6th with an average sugar content of 25.5
Brix. The Syrah grapes were harvested on October 9th and October 31st,
with an average sugar content of 25.8 Brix.
Winemaking
Every lot
in this blend was 100% destemmed and crushed into a small, open top fermenter.
The must was cold soaked for an average of three days, before adding a yeast
culture to begin fermentation. After an average of 12-days fermentation, the
wines were pressed off, settled, transferred to French oak barrels and aged for
21 months. 30% of the barrels were new French oak and the remaining barrels were
neutral. The blend was lightly filtered and bottled in August 2020.
The Wine
The wine
has a dark ruby color. Classic, perfumed herbal aromas from the Cabernet Franc initially
dominate the nose and are followed by notes of cedar, plums and spices. On the
palate the wine is medium-bodied with flavors of black cherries, plums and a
hint of pomegranate in the finish. The moderate tannins and balanced acidity
give the wine a wonderfully lively finish.
Food Pairings
This wine
will pair well with a variety of foods including pork loin, Italian pasta with herbed
red sauce and many foods off the grill.
