The 2020 vintage was defined by its extremes.  It was the hottest vintage ever recorded, breaking the record-setting 2017 harvest 3 years earlier.  Ryan's experience with the 2017 harvest provided a blueprint for this kind of weather event and I was able to make some key decisions along the way to ensure the wines would not show the impact of such extreme heat.  We did a lot of canopy work on the Grenache to protect it and maintain it's prettiness and elegance while blending in earthy and meaty Mourvedre to build up the structure.  The aromatics jump out of the glass with notes of ripe cherries, raspberries, and violets, while the palate is silky smooth and echoes red fruits on the nose with more earthy and meaty tones coming from the Mourvèdre. 

The Grenache was picked on September 26th, fully destemmed, and fermented with yeast propagated from the southern Rhône.  Once dry, the Grenache was racked to neutral French oak barrels.  The Mourvèdre was picked October 14^th, fermented with 100% whole clusters, and racked to neutral French oak barrels.  After completing malolactic fermentation, the Grenache and Mourvèdre were blended together and aged an additional nine months.