Tasting Notes

Release Date: Fall 2003

This is the last bottling of the Old Vine. After this harvest the vines were pulled out to be replanted. All good things come to an end eventually and it was with a heavy heart that this vineyard transcended to the big resort in the sky.

A mere nine barrels were produced. This is the swan song of a piece of ground that as produced an incredible number of classic wines, i.e. '68, '70, '73, '74, '85, 90, '97 and now 2000. Big and rich as one would expect with one last gasp of earthy terroir in the nose, the 2000 is sleek and youthful on the palate, with energy in the finish to indicate many years of development ahead.

Production

218

Tech Notes

Yield: 1/2 ton per acre Harvest: September 20th-21th Numbers @ Harvest: 23.8 Brix, 3.46 pH, 7.2 grams acidity Barrel Regimen: 100% new French Chateau style Bottling: August 2002; no fining or filtration

Reviews

91 points Wine Enthusiast Magazine  - May 2004

Similar in style to the 1999, but a touch more accessible.  This young, closed-in wine is still pretty tannic, but there’s a rich, thick core of sweet cherry and blackberry fruit that bodes well for aging.  Possesses the firm structure of a mountain wine.

89 (+) points Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar - July/August 2004

Deep, bright Ruby.  Pungent aromas of currant, raspberry, minerals, espresso, cola, tobacco and baking spices.  Juicy, intensely flavored and penetrating; cool and minty in a positive way.  Like the pinot, this wine shows powerful vinosity and slightly screechy acids but also plenty of fruit sweetness. But this wine is even tighter in the early going.  Will it eventually absorb its elevated acidity?