76% Merlot 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Syrah
Tasting Notes: Black cherry, raspberry, warm mulling spices with a bit of cocoa, vanilla and anise. The palate is very soft up front, has a nice creamy center and while it does pack a slight punch, it lingers into a finessed finish. Flavors of chocolate, sarsaparilla, raspberry candy, clove and cinnamon.
Cellaring: The structure of this wine means it will be best within a few years of release, but should be wonderful to drink for the next 5 year. Production: Grapes come from the Columbia Valley vineyards, Wooded Island, Bacchus and Sagemoor (all part of Sagemoor Farms), and the Red Mountain Vineyards of Hedges, Bel’ Villa, Jolet, Les Gosses and Magdalena. Most of the wines were pumped over during alcoholic fermentation for 6 to 10 days while on American Oak. About 40% of the wine was racked to barrel where it completed malo-lactic fermentation and then aged for an additional 15-18 months. The other 60% completed M-L in tank, at the end of which it was racked onto French Oak and had SO2 added. About 60% French oak /40% American oak. .
Harvest: The 2017-2018 winter was extremely mild, fairly dry and quite the opposite of the snow and ice ravaged winter we saw the year before. This mild winter really tricked the vines and other early bud pushing plants to sprout quickly. Hedges’ estate vineyards were pruned early (beginning in late January) in anticipation for this early bud break and the vines really responded well. We added a few more Biodynamic practices into the mix, such as home brewed horsetail tea spray, which helped us escape some mildew pressure in June. The heat of summer and long sunny days advanced ripening, but the maturation period of early September and October was mild which made for a harvest that you could pick fruit at a slow and steady pace. Overall the 2018 vintage is going to be a good one!