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A sultry blend of cool-climate Carneros merlot, about half from from (name drop alert) nearby Hyde Vineyards, blended with rich Cabernet Franc also grown in Forward series soils in the Western hills of Rutherford.
The bottle reads "Rutherford" from blending & bottling with Jean Hoefliger and friends at Alpha
Omega Winery. This is a new-world Virage blend thanks to a warm
vintage--and perhaps Jean's influence--he likes a big flavorful wine! Black and deep red stone fruits and dark
chocolate, laced with signature Virage minerality. As always, a bright mouth-watering finish leaves you wanting more...
But what a year. The very cool 2010 growing season took an abrupt turn for all of Napa
Valley --even in our cool corner of Carneros --with a couple of severe heat strikes in August. A biodynamic winegrower friend warned me not to trim the sunburned shoulders too early! Should have listened. The final September searing heatwave 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.
[2022 notes: Stunned by the balance in this wine as it ages. Not as heady as the early years after release. Vibrant fresh black cherry fruit bursts out of the glass, with those familiar layers of minerality, graphite, toasty tobacco and leather. Dense without fat. 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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