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The Experience
Aroma: Floral, red cherry, plum and wild strawberry with hints of vanilla, cocoa and nutmeg ripe and opulent.

Palate: Red raspberry and plum fruit flavors with nuances of vanilla and milk chocolate. Rich and ripe with round supple tannins, a silky texture and long finish with hints of black tea.

The Vineyard
The grapes for our 2002 Oakville Merlot came from our Estate Vineyard located in Oakville. The Merlot grows on terraces on the side of a steep southwest facing slope overlooking the Winery. The soils are very shallow and rocky and the vines have to struggle to produce only a few pounds each of intensely flavored grapes. 20% Cabernet Sauvignon from an adjacent block was blended in for added structure.

The Winemaking
The grapes were hand picked, hand sorted then destemmed into a small stainless steel tank for fermentation. The grapes were cold soaked for 4 days before the fermentation was started to enhance flavor and color extraction. After 15 days the grapes were drained and pressed into two thirds new French oak barrels where it aged for 19 months in our wine caves.

Wine Facts
Harvest Dates: September 25, 2002
Growing Region: Oakville
Crushing Regime: Destemmed only
Pre-fermentation Treatment: 2-Day cold soak
Fermentation: Cultured Yeast
Maceration: 15 Days
Barrel Composition: 67% New French Oak
Time in Barrels: 19 months
Filtration/Fining: None/None
Blend Composition: 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon
Cases Produced: 365 Cases
Bottling Date: April 8, 2004