2023 LIVING IN THE LIMELIGHT
WINEMAKER’S NOTES
Glass staining, saturated dark purple color with intense notes of ripe huckleberry, blueberry, blackberry, wild mint, clove, and smoldering incense. On the palate, high intensity flavors of huckleberry, black raspberry, cigar tobacco, black licorice, allspice, gravel, and dark chocolate. Nuances of dark chocolate, vanilla, black licorice, and tar resonate on the long finish. High glycerol and high levels of dry extract with ripe, luscious tannins and vibrant acidity. With a proper decant, this wine can be enjoyed in the next year or two. It should reach optimal maturity in 6-8 years and hold for 12+ years.
TECHNICAL DETAILS
The wine had a pre-fermentation maceration of 145hours and a post-fermentation maceration of 96 hours. 100% Native fermentation. The wine was punched down by hand 2 times each day during macerations and fermentation. All individual wine components, including free run and press fractions, were kept separate until final blending. Elevage was 18 months in 33% new French oak and 67% neutral French oak. The wine achieved its sparkly brilliance from 3 judicious rackings, no fining agents were employed. The wine was very gently filtered using crossflow filtration. The alcohol is 14.6%, pH is 3.77 and the titratable acidity is 6.3 g/L.
CASES PRODUCED 48
VARIETALS Petit Verdot
APPELLATION Dionysus Vineyard, White Bluffs
LABEL STORY
Traditionally, Petit Verdot is a blending grape used to enhance acidity and color to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot-dominated wines. This is actually why we initially decided to work with Petit Verdot. Our intention was to use it as a supporting actor in our blend called "In Order to Form a More Perfect Union" (and we do use some of it for that purpose).
We decided to get our Petit Verdot from Dionysus Vineyard’s Block 13b. The vineyard is in the White Bluffs AVA, which sits on a plateau. The elevation helps extend the growing season and reduces the risk of frost. Block 13b is situated on a 10-15% slope at an elevation of 800ft. The soil is Sagehill very fine sandy loam, allowing for great water drainage with low soil water capacity. This, along with only six inches of yearly precipitation, helps stress the vines. And stressed vines yield higher quality grapes.
It's a perfect area to grow Petit Verdot. In fact, it’s so good that we were compelled to highlight the grape. So we created a wine called "Living in the Limelight" because Petit Verdot is now the star. The name is a nod to one our favorite songs from one our favorite rock bands.
Keen observers will spy three easter eggs hidden in the details of the label artwork.