Merlot 2021
Vintages Notes:
A mild winter lead into a mild and beautifully warm spring. The large cropload and rainy summer and fall made for an extremely extended growing season. The whites came in with flinty minerality, high acidity and interesting flavors. The reds were an even bigger surprise. Racy but with tempered acidity, silky delicate tannins, cedar and herbaceous notes without being vegetal. Graceful and poignant, 2021 reds will be wines to watch as they develop over coming years.
Sour cherry, forest floor, and cherry blossom on the nose of this soft and delicate Merlot followed by subtle notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cedar. The finish lingers with vanilla and dried fruit leather. Slightly drying tannins are still smooth and well integrated, and indicate excellent aging over the next 3-5 years at least.
| Vintage | 2021 |
| Varietal | 95% Merlot, 5% Cab Franc |
| Appellation | Finger Lakes |
| Vineyard | 47% Gibson, 53% Norbud |
| Harvest Date | 10/11/2021 00:00:00 |
| PH | 3.54 |
| Residual Sugar | 0.0% |
| Alcohol | 12.00% |
| Volume | 750 ml |
| Artificially Carbonated | No |
| Sparkling Wine | No |
Winemaker Notes:
The grapes were handpicked and brought to the cellar, where we drained 10% of the juice in the saignée method to concentrate flavors. Grapes were crushed and cold-soaked for 3 days to help extract color and flavors, before going through fermentation. It was then racked to barrel, where it completed malolactic fermentation and aged for 14 months. A small amount of Cabernet Franc was added before bottling for complexity of flavor.
