Description

Vintage

Despite the ongoing statewide drought, Napa Valley received close to average rainfall in 2015-16.  More than 12” fell in March 2016, ensuring that the vines had ample water as they emerged from dormancy.  The growing season was considerably cooler than in the previous two vintages, allowing us to harvest beautifully ripened grapes at the end of a long growing season.

 

Winemaking

The four varieties were hand-picked and fermented separately with gentle fermentation techniques resulting in wine of great depth and complexity.  We selected the finest barrels of each lot to create the Phenomenon blend.  The wine matured for 20 months in new and once-used French oak barrels before bottling.

 

Tasting Notes

The restrained, elegant nose offers hints of rose petal, violet and cocoa.  The wine is juicy and expansive on the palate, with a lovely mix of fruit and spicy notes.  Flavors of dark berries give way to the signature tart cherry note of Sangiovese, as well as chocolate ganache.  This medium-to-full bodied wine is nicely balanced with a big finish.

 

Pairings

This versatile wine would be wonderful alongside a lamb burger with feta cheese, meatballs in tomato sauce, pecorino cheese, or your favorite wild game.