2016 IN ORDER TO FORM A MORE PERFECT UNION
WINEMAKER’S NOTES
The overall impression of the 2016 Perfect Union is the unique combination of ripeness, power, and harmony. This wine is a perfect pairing for a ribeye with truffle butter! Vibrant deep ruby-purple in color with complex aromatics of cassis, gravel, pencil lead, smoldering incense, eucalyptus, cedar, tobacco, and dried sage. The wine is full bodied with high flavor density, crisp acidity, and sinewy tannins. The palate is simply stunning: cassis, ripe blackberry, ripe blueberry, dried sage, mint, espresso, lead pencil, aged cigar tobacco, leather, and gravel. Properly cellared, this wine should reach maturity in 10-12 years and will gracefully evolve for 20+ years.
TECHNICAL DETAILS
The wine had a pre-fermentation maceration average of 163 hours and a post-fermentation maceration average of 290 hours. 100% Native fermentation. The wine was punched down by hand 3 times each day during macerations and fermentation. All individual wine components, including free run and press fractions, were kept separate until final blending. The oak profile is 70% new French oak puncheons (predominantly from Troncais and Alliers) and 30% neutral French oak. The wine achieved its sparkly brilliance from 4 judicious rackings, no fining agents were employed. The wine was very lightly filtered to capture any remaining lees. The alcohol is 15.0%, pH is 3.69, and the titratable acidity is 6.5g/L. Harvest dates: Various.
CASES PRODUCED 167
VARIETALS Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot
APPELLATION Columbia Valley
LABEL STORY
In 2009, we made our first in Order to form a more perfect Union. It was the third wine in three years that received a perfect rating from Rand Sealey (Review of Washington Wines). The wine is always a blend of 3-4 different varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot) and multiple vineyards (such as Dionysus, Bacchus, Weinbau, XL, Kiona, DuBrul, Wallula Gap, and Firethorn). Consistently, it ranks among our best wines.
Our father came to the United States in 1969. Our mother came in 1972. We followed in 1974 (ages 7 and 5). They made sacrifices in order to establish a life here. Our family story of sacrifice and hard work is special because it is uniquely ours. What makes it extraordinary is that our story is merely commonplace in the short history of the United States.
The wine, in Order to form a more perfect Union, honors our parents and the sacrifices they made and it honors the promise that is the United States.