Winemaker's Notes:
If it is true that great wines are grown in the vineyard, then it must also be true that the intrinsic qualities of that
vineyard are what make the wine great. Given all the distinct differences between each of our individual vineyard
blocks: elevation, aspect, slope, clone/rootstock, vine age, trellising, wind patterns, etc; one would expect wildly
different resulting wines. While there are subtle differences of course, they share far more characteristics in
common. This Hanzell signature in our grapes speak to the similar elemental threads that run through all of our
vineyards and are a testament to the consistency of the individual hands that tend them.
Roasted and savory spices, tobacco leaf, smoked meats, and scents of forest floor lend dark counterpoint
to the bright fruit aromas of pomegranate, blackberry and orange-peel. Rich ripe fruit flavor gives
balance to the copious mouth-filling tannins. With time resting in the decanter, the delineation between
the fruit and the structure of this wine evaporates into a seamless and finely woven fabric of flavor and
texture. The impressive fruit concentration and firm structural backbone ensure a life-span that will be
measured in decades. |