| Vintage: | 2006 |
| Varietal Composition: | |
| 77% | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| 13% | Cabernet Franc |
| 7% | Merlot |
| 3% | Petit Verdot |
| Appellation: | Sonoma Mountain |
| Acid: | .59 |
| PH: | 3.83 |
| Alcohol %: | 14.5% |
| Tasting Notes: | The wine has a very rich, concentrated entry. Because of the warmth late in the growing season there is a juiciness that explodes with flavor. Very developed mid-palate with soft tannins give the wine a sort of oval shape in the mouth. The finish is packed with flavors of berry and nutmeg. Good acidity stretches out the finish giving this wine a beautiful horizontal character that is texturally fascinating. |
| Production Notes: | Early rains in January helped establish good ground water for later in the year. A heat spike lasted a record 10 days in July. Then came the rains, which sent us rushing to leaf the vines, allowing sunshine and air to reach the clusters. The vintage was punctuated by two weeks of perfect Indian summer that really concentrated the fruit without the downside of dehydration or overripeness. |
| Winemaker Notes: | To enhance the vineyard character in Tribute, we fermented the wine with native yeast. The wine went through natural malolactic fermentation in barrels during the winter and spring in our underground caves. We blended the wine and then gave it a solid 20 months in French oak barrels (35 percent of which were new), before bottling Tribute, unfiltered, in July of 2008. The wine was aged for 11 months in the bottle before its release in May of 2009. Enjoyable now, but it will continue to age nicely for 15 to 20 years under proper cellaring conditions. Decanting will add to its enjoyment. |
| Production: | 104 Barrels |
The wine has a very rich, concentrated entry. Because of the warmth late in the growing season there is a juiciness that explodes with flavor. Very developed mid-palate with soft tannins give the wine a sort of oval shape in the mouth. The finish is packed with flavors of berry and nutmeg. Good acidity stretches out the finish giving this wine a beautiful horizontal character that is texturally fascinating.
Early rains in January helped establish good ground water for later in the year. A heat spike lasted a record 10 days in July. Then came the rains, which sent us rushing to leaf the vines, allowing sunshine and air to reach the clusters. The vintage was punctuated by two weeks of perfect Indian summer that really concentrated the fruit without the downside of dehydration or overripeness.
To enhance the vineyard character in Tribute, we fermented the wine with native yeast. The wine went through natural malolactic fermentation in barrels during the winter and spring in our underground caves. We blended the wine and then gave it a solid 20 months in French oak barrels (35 percent of which were new), before bottling Tribute, unfiltered, in July of 2008. The wine was aged for 11 months in the bottle before its release in May of 2009. Enjoyable now, but it will continue to age nicely for 15 to 20 years under proper cellaring conditions. Decanting will add to its enjoyment.
104 Barrels
