While most of the fruit is from prestigious Howell Mountain, this vintage also marks the debut of a small amount of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc from our Yountville Estate vineyard, which we re- planted a few years ago. Our steep Howell Mountain site produces extremely small grapes of tremendous flavor concentration and “…the young Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc vines bring some brightness and elegance to all of that intensity,” remarks Geoff Gorsuch, our Winemaker.
To maximize the richness of flavor, Geoff allowed the skins and seeds some time to “cold soak” before guiding the wine through a warm, but not hot, fermentation. He followed up with an early pressing for polished tannins and a graceful finish. Geoff aged the ÆROS (pronounced “Eros” for the winged god “Cupid”) in his favorite Bordeaux-made San Martin and Quintessence barrels to ensure its signature complexity and finesse.
Listen to our audio winemaker note: mp3
Read more about this wine here.
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