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A flavorful, expansive blend of our cool-climate Carneros Merlot, including gorgeous fruit from nearby Hyde Vineyards, blended with a plush Cabernet Franc grown in Rutherford hillside Forward soils.
The bottle reads "Rutherford" from our blending & bottling with Jean Hoefliger and friends at Alpha
Omega Winery. This is the most new-world Virage blend yet thanks to a warm
vintage--and perhaps Jean's influence! Dark stone fruit and dark
chocolate, laced with signature Virage minerality. A warming Napa
Valley wine, yet
as always, a bright mouth-watering finish, leaving you wanting more...
But what a season. The very cool 2010 growing season took an abrupt turn for all of Napa
Valley --even in Carneros --with a couple of severe heat strikes beginning in August. A friend who does biodynamic winegrowing warned me not to trim the sunburned shoulders too early! Should have listened! For us, the final September searing heatwave--after snipping away more raisins!--added a layer of warmth over the slowly-developed flavors that we
love from cooler-climate growing regions. Finishes with
bittersweet cocoa and espresso. 622 cases produced.
[Jan2022 notes: Stunned by the balance emerging in this wine, extremely fresh black cherry fruit bursting on the nose, elegant density without heat or rough edges, layers of minerality, graphite, toasty tobacco and leather, all beginning to feel like the beloved 2007! Far surpassing winemaker expectation here.]
- VARIETAL: 56% Cabernet Franc, 42% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon
- VINEYARDS: HYDE Vineyards, Carneros and BT, Carneros
- HARVESTED: October 2010
- RELEASED: APRIL 2014
- Alc: 14.8% pH: 3.51 TA: 6.7
- Cooperage: 22 mos in 100% French Oak, 50% New - SYLVAIN, BOSSUET, VICARD, SAURY
- Production: 622 cases
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