WINEMAKER’S NOTES

The blend for the 2018 Creative Impulse is 57% Cabernet Sauvignon and 43% Merlot, all from DuBrul Vineyard. Deep ruby-purple color with a multifaceted bouquet of cassis, ripe black cherry, gravel, dark chocolate, mint, thyme, sage, and nutmeg. Very complex on the palate with notes of cassis, blackberry, smoldering incense, aged cigar tobacco, mint, espresso, and herbes de Provence. Beautifully balanced with firm tannins and racy acidity. Persistent length with notes of cassis, gravel, and forest floor. Properly cellared, this wine will gracefully evolve for 20+ years and should reach maturity in 8-10 years.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

The wine had a pre-fermentation maceration average of 163 hours and a post-fermentation maceration average of 98 hours. Native fermentation was used on all of the lots. 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. The oak profile is 60% new French oak (predominantly from Troncais and Alliers) and 40% neutral French oak. The wine had an elevage of 24 months in oak and was racked three times but not fined. The wine was very lightly filtered to capture any remaining lees. The alcohol is 14.8%, pH is 3.71, and the titratable acidity is 5.6 g/L.

CASES PRODUCED   117

VARIETALS   57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Merlot

APPELLATION   DuBrul Vineyard, Yakima Valley