2016 Spring Mountain District Merlot

Vineyard

Properties: Bales Creek
Appellation: Spring Mountain District
Clonal Selections: 1
Yields: 2 tons per acre

Growing Season

The near-perfect 2016 growing season started early, saw ideal weather conditions throughout and wrapped up as the valley's first significant fall rainstorm arrived on October 14. Thanks to a relatively steady and mild July and August and then a series of warm days at the end of the growing season, vineyards were able to progress to perfect ripeness. Wines from the 2016 vintage are now quietly developing in cellars throughout Napa Valley and vintners are pinching themselves and smiling for the gift it appears Mother Nature has given them: a fifth consecutive vintage of stellar quality Napa Valley wines.
Harvest Date: September 25
Harvest Brix: 26.2°

Winemaking

Hand-harvested, picked at night
Gently de-stemmed and whole berries transferred to stainless steel
Cold soaked for 48 hours
Inoculated with D254 yeast and fermented for 21 days on the skins
Free run juice drained from tank, settled for 24 hours then racked to barrel
Aged for 18 months in French oak barrels, 66% new
Coopers: Nadalie, Orion and Ermitage

Unfined and unfiltered; bottled January 2017

50 cases produced
Composition-- 100% Merlot