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The 2001 “Ottimo” is a blend made from our top barrels. The Ottimo is rich, elegant and primed for long term aging. This is truly a polished Cabernet with a firm band of cedar and spice wrapped around a core of ripe plum, blackberry and black cherry. The Ottimo is made from our top five barrels selected by the winemaking staff. You can say it is a wine we make for ourselves and want to share with all our friends.

“Ottimo” is a barrel select wine we make every year from the top barrels of each vintage. Each year we grade and select 5 to 10 barrels from our Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc barrels to make one wine. The grading is partial to mouth feel, extraction and complexity. Each year it can be Cabernet Sauvignon focused, Merlot focused, Cabernet Franc focused or a blend in between. What ever the blend is, it is stylistically rich, complex and full in the mouth. The 2000 “Ottimo” is no exception. It carries the same if not better quality than the 1999 vintage. The 2000 “Ottimo” is very Cabernet Sauvignon forward, with 90%, but tamed with 10% Merlot. The wine shows a rich mouth feel with lush perfume notes that envelope a dense core of black cherry and plum, with hints of tobacco and chocolate. The wine from the front, mid, to the back pallet is complete. The finish has marked d tannins that don’t overpower the wine, but integrate with the fruit. The wine is balanced with tannin and acidity for long term aging.

The 2003 “Sogno” is a great follow-up to our 2002 release of our Cabernet Franc last year, and is an exciting wine! The 2002 “Sogno” was a wonderful wine, the 2003 is a more serious sister. The Cabernet Franc grape is predominately from the Sagemore vineyards with hints of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Rosa Hills vineyard. The word “Sogno” means dream in Italian, and fitting for the wine. Our first impression of this wine and description was, that the wine is very pretty with strong cherry, raspberry qualities, the nose very floral of the Cabernet Franc varietal with a very nice layering of oak. The wine is not big, bold and gutsy. It is elegant, supple and serious, and hard to put down.

The 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon follows in the foot steps of our award winning 2001vintage with a bit more depth, and elegance. The 2001 Cab was a great wine, the 2002 is even better. With just a small amount of Merlot to tame the Cabernet, this wine is bold, ripe and rich, showing our classic style of elegance and balance.

The 2003 “Meritage” follows the very popular 2002 vintage with a very similar style but greater depth and character. This wine takes its core character from Cabernet Franc from the Bacchus vineyard and Cabernet Sauvignon from the Seven Hills and Pepper Bridge vineyards. The Merlot, a blend from the Rosa Hills and Chandler Reach vineyards, softens the wine. The wine is bright with fresh fruit, showing off current and berry notes, but well married with well balanced oak. Tannins and acidity are well balanced.

The 2003 “Merlot” is a split between the Roza Hills and Chandler Reach vineyards. The wine is finished off with Sagemore Cabernet Sauvignon. The large amount of Merlot makes this wine soft but very full. This wine shows off black cherry, currant and sage notes, with wonderful texture and deep color. It is full in the mouth with a nice marriage of oak, balanced with tannin and good acidity.

The 2002 “Rose of Cabernet” is our third release of this style of wine. The first two releases, only available at the winery, became very popular and sold quickly. This third vintage is even better. It has more depth and flavor and very reminiscent of a Rhone style rose or Spanish Rosado. The wine has loads of Cabernet Franc verietal character, and loads of fruit. It is dry, fresh and screaming for summer!

Last year we produced our Sweet Catherine, a late harvest Sauvignon Blanc style wine, profiled after classic French Sauternes, and this year we are releasing a new late harvest Semillon style wine, the 2003 Saint John. John is our 10 year old son, one of our greatest loves, but Saint might be pushing it. He is all boy! This is a classic Sauterne wine with a backbone of acid, lush mouth of honey and apricot, and sweet on the finish. The viscosity of the wine is very reminiscent of a fine Sauterne wine, one of the profiles we were trying to attain in making this wine.

Our 2005 “Sauvignon Blanc” is blend of Sauvignon Blanc from the Rosa Hill and Willard vineyard and Semillon from the Rose Bud vineyard. The wine shows a great depth of varietal character in the nose, showing floral notes of apple with fruit notes of pear and peach. The mouth is fresh and full. The 2005 Sauvignon Blanc is a blend of 89% Sauvignon Blanc and 11% Semillon giving it a strong varietal Sauvignon Blanc personality, but with added complexity and weight from the Semillon. What is wonderful about this wine is that it can be enjoyed with food due to its marked acidity, or enjoyed just by itself.

Our 2004 “Semillon” is a blend of Viognier from the Kestrel vineyard and Semillon from the Rose Bud vineyard. The wine shows a great depth of varietal character in the nose, showing floral notes of pear and a hint of tobacco. The mouth is fresh and full. The 3.5% Viognier gives the wine a creamy texture, and the Semillon a strong varietal personality. What is wonderful about this wine is that it can be enjoyed with food due to its marked acidity, or enjoyed just by itself.

The Sweet Catherine is our first late harvest style wine, profiled after classic French Sauternes. The wine is named after my daughter Catherine and if there was ever a wine to describe her, it is definitely “Sweet Catherine”. This is a classic Sauterne wine with a backbone of acid, lush mouth of honey and apricot, and sweet on the finish. The viscosity of the wine is very reminiscent of a fine Sauterne wine, one of the profiles we were trying to attain in making this wine

The 2002 Syrah is our fifth vintage of this varietal. Three vineyards, Elerding, Alderdale and Baccus, with a small amount of Grenache from Alderdale come together to remind us what its like to be in the Rhone Valley. The wine is fleshy, balanced and has that great leathery smoky quality. It is full in the mouth with a nice marriage of oak, and balanced with good acidity.

Bright, juicy and appealing for its fresh plum, berry and mocha flavors; beautifully knit and lingering enticingly on a polished finish. A Syrah with real refinement. Drink now through 2012.

“A more complex, Bordeaux style white,” was the intention when making our first White Meritage. Our goal was reached and the result was an exquisite white wine with as much or more depth then we’d hoped to achieve. The varietal character of the Semillon marries well with the new French oak, which adds to the complexity of this wine without overshadowing the the wonderful aromas pear, and a hint of tobacco. Enjoy this wine with food, or enjoy it on its own, either way it’s classic style will ring through.