Éloge
Vintage 2001
Color Ruby Red.
Aroma Spicy Currant, with pepper, sandalwood and cedar.
Taste Big-bodied, full middle, with plum, chocolate-rasberry, a hint of mocha. Well balanced between the forest-oak and acid. The Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petite Verdot, gives this wine a finesse, that allows a long finish and lingering after-taste.
The Year Even a roller coaster growing season didn't stop this great 2001 harvest from producing beautiful clean fruit. A cold harsh March, and two heat spikes in the 80's, coaxed the vines into an early bloom, followed by a hard April frost which gave cause for concern. Shatter (the percentage of grapes remaining after flowering) occurred as a mixed blessing, and hit Merlot hard. While frost-loosened clousters cost some vines approximately 40 percent of their fruit, that remaining was of spectacular quality. The hottest May on record and the third hottest June (total degree days) indicated harvest would be early. July arrived with temps in the 100's, hitting 114 in Calistoga, which put vines in high gear, and growers faced a premature harvest. Fortunately, August cooled to near perfect, with average highs of 85 degrees followed by chilly nights, the vines were allowed to get back on track. Grapes, particularly reds, settled, extending the all important hang time and producing a matured balanced flavor.
Harvest September 16, 2001Brix 24.3 pH 3.66 TA 0.57
Fermentation 13-16 days with 2 weeks of extended maceration on the skins.
Aged 22 mos. in French oak 60 gal. cooperage - 70% new French oak & 30% yr old French oak cooperage.
Bottled January, 2004
Released October, 2004
Varietal 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, 5% Petite Verdot
Alcohol 13.1%
Appellation 100% 2001 Vintage, 100% Napa Valley, California