Wine Color: Red

Vintage: 2009

Varietals: 75% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Barbera

Appellation: 85% Livermore Valley, San Francisco Bay 10% Napa Valley 5% Arroyo Seco, Monterey

Winemaker: Karl D. Wente

Vineyard:

These prime Livermore Valley, Napa Valley and Arroyo Seco Estate vineyards were selected for the Nth Degree program because of their consistent production of exceptional fruit. The selected blocks were farmed to the Nth Degree, using a method we refer to as, “ultra farming”. The grapes were hand-harvested in the early morning into ½ ton bins, hand-sorted, and then crushed into small fermenters.

Fermentation:

The Merlot was fermented in stainless steel tanks and pumped over twice daily. The Cabernet Sauvignon and Barbera were fermented in 1 ½ ton bins and punched down by hand twice daily.

Aging:

The Merlot was aged for 16 months in American, Eastern European, and neutral oak barrels. The Cabernet Sauvignon was aged for 18 months in French, Eastern European and neutral oak barrels. The Barbera was aged for 18 months in American and Eastern European oak barrels.