Description

Between 2000-2010 we farmed a few acres of vines, which were leased to us by Renaissance Vineyard, a local winery where I made wine for over 15 years.  That vineyard originally covered 365 acres of steeply sloping contoured terraces, creating a breathtaking panorama, and offering an incredible range of soil and microclimate combinations, plus 700 ft. of elevation drop from the top to the bottom of the vineyard and all possible exposures… Soil types were mostly granitic, resulting from the decomposition of Gabro, Diorite, Serpentine, and many other variations on the theme, It was possible to successfully farm there, nearly side by side, an astonishing spectrum of grape varieties, traditionally associated with entirely different growing regions. This was the origin of a number of our wines: Carte Blanche, Tickled Pink, Heart of Stone, Cuveé Mystérieuse, and Black Pearl.

A co-fermentation of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon from the same sites that produced our earlier vintages but, significantly, this vintage was foot-stomped rather than destemmed/crushed. That one difference in the processing of the fruit resulted in what in my view is a much superior focus, structure, and clarity of expression in the finished wine. I honestly believe that this wine will in time prove to be among the very finest and longest lived Clos Saron wine.