Geographical Indication
Shenandoah Valley, Estate Bottled

Winemakers and Vineyards
Winemakers – Jessi Gatewood , Mark McCune
Vineyards - Barren Ridge Vineyards.

Vintage Overview
Vintage started with a frost, leaving lighter crops. The summer was warm and relatively dry with rain at the end of the growing season, producing more typical vintage, not overly ripe , but no greeneness. Resulting wines produced presented as lighter reds than the 2019 vintage, with softer acids and controlled alcohol notes.

Winemaking
Grapes were de-stemmed with minimal crushing of berries,. The grapes were fermented in small lots with different yeast and oak treatments to maximize complexity. Each bin or tank was punched down twice daily and during the peak of fermentation. When fermentation was complete the free run was racked in barrels and the wine from the skins was gently pressed to barrels. Once the malolactic fermentation was completed, the wine was racked from lees and aged for 14 months in new and seasoned oak. We used 50% new French oak and 50% seasoned oak of medium toast levels and tight grain selection, which gave a bolder finish to the wines. Barrel evaluation and racking occurred in the summer to define the blend. Bottled Dec. 2022.

Nose
Dark fruit with light vanilla and oak notes

Palate
Dark fruit, moderate acid, softer finish with lighter tannins

Cellaring
At its optimum after 3-5 years

Food and wine pairing
Aged cheese - Rich and strongly flavored foods
Analysis
Alcohol 12.5 % Sugar 0% pH 3.67 Acid 5.4

Color
Deep, purple-red